Whoopsie-Doodle
by Lets Do That Again
Summary: Arceus has made a few mistakes. Some intentional, some not. Now it's up to Ash to pick up the pieces. Scattered, unfamiliar pieces, but pieces all the same.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Whoopsies

 **Pokémon, and all related media, is the property of Nintendo**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **DEITY (OLYMPUS MON) SPEECH"**

 **Line Break**

The first thought that came into Ash's head was that it was too quiet. There was a distinct lack of Pokémon snores and the mechanical hum of Professor Kukui's various machines. Then, Ash remembered that he offered to camp outside for the night so that Kukui and Professor Burnet could do some research without interruption—Poipole got bored whenever there was a long stretch of silence not involving sleep.

But that just raised a new set of questions, like what happened to his pillow?

Yawning, he rubbed his eye, blearily blinking away his morning tiredness.

A beam of yellow light flew above him, ending with an explosion to his right.

Ash yelped and rolled to his side. Rather, he would have, if there were any solid ground beneath and around him. Instead, he was left flailing wildly in what he could now see was an endless black void.

He shifted to his left, eyes widening at the sight of Palkia, the Master of Space itself, gathering an orb of blue energy in its arms.

Ash screamed, frantically moving his arms and legs in an attempt to move out of the way of what would no doubt be a powerful beam. Suddenly, he froze in place, and not a second later, felt something tug him away from Palkia.

He came to a stop far away from Palkia, and once more flailed in an attempt to right himself.

" **MY APOLOGIES, I HAD NOT MEANT TO LEAVE YOU IN PALKIA'S WAY."**

Ash drew in a breath, recognizing the powerful voice. He shifted around, gulping, "A-Arceus…"

The Creator Pokémon nodded, " **GREETINGS. I WOULD SAY IT IS NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN, BUT IN LIGHT OF PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES…** " He trailed off as another explosion rocked the void they floated in.

Ash turned towards Palkia, covering his eyes as his next beam exploded against a white barrier in brilliant pink light.

" **GRREAAAGH** " a new voice roared.

Ash grunted, covering his ears to block out the horrible sound. As soon as he did so, however, the voice muted, as if he put on earmuffs. He removed his hands, tilting his head at the translucent orange barrier he was currently enveloped in.

" **SO MY CHILDREN DO NOT RENDER YOU DEAF,** " Arceus supplied.

The voice—heavily muffled—roared once again, and Ash followed the sound, not wholly surprised to find that Dialga was the source of it.

Ash frowned, "Wait, if Palkia and Dialga are here, does that mean that—"

" **TO YOUR LEFT.** "

Ash turned so and recoiled at the sight of a pair of startling red lights rise up from the inky void. A pair of bat-like wings burst free and beat once. Globs of darkness shot forward, covering the otherwise pristine barrier.

Ash turned to Arceus, asking, "What the heck's going on?!"

But Arceus did not answer, instead staring out at the Masters of Time, Space, and Distortion.

Ash cleared his throat, and Arceus jolted. " **AH, MY APOLOGIES** ," he turned to him, leaning down slightly, " **I WAS…OVERCOME BY A SUDDEN WAVE OF NOSTALGIA**."

Ash grew silent at that, awkwardly scratching his neck.

Then, Arceus shook his head, " **BUT I DID NOT BRING YOU HERE TO REMINISCE. I HAVE NEED OF YOU, ASH KETCHUM.** "

Ash chuckled nervously, turning back to the three god-like beings blasting the barrier with a variety of attacks, "I can't really see how."

Arceus sighed, " **MAKE NO MISTAKE, THOUGH VALIENT, THEIR EFFORTS WILL AMOUNT TO NOTHING OVERALL.** "

The blunt statement floored Ash, but before he could reply, Arceus asked, " **TELL ME, DO YOU REMEMBER CYRUS?** "

Ash scowled at the reminder of the leader of Team Galactic, then gasped as he remembered the man's final act, "You mean he's causing all this? I though he, uh, well…died."

" **OH, REST ASSURED, HE DIED WITHIN MOMENTS OF JUMPING IN THE PORTAL, TORN TO SHREDS AS REALITY RECTIFIED THE ABERRATION OF HIS PRESENCE WITHIN THE VOID OF CREATION.** "

"O-oh…"

" **HOWEVER, FOR ALL THE MAN'S FAULTS, HE HAD A REMARKABLY STRONG WILL, AND LEFT AN…IMPRINT ON REALITY**."

Ash gulped, "So that imprint is causing all this?"

Arceus tilted his head, " **YES AND NO. ONE IMPRINT ALONE COULD NOT DO SO MUCH DAMAGE, BUT AN INFINITE NUMBER OF IMPRINTS ACROSS AN INFINITE NUMBER OF TIMELINES, THAT CAN DO SOME MAJOR DAMAGE. TO SAY NOTHING OF OTHER DISASTERS WITH SPACE-TIME, AND MY OWN FOOLHARDINESS.** "

"What do you mean? How can you be part of the problem?"

Arceus hummed lowly, " **…YOU KNOW OF THE 'FAIRY' TYPE, YES?"**

Ash nodded.

" **DID YOU EVER THINK IT STRANGE HOW A NEW TYPE OF POKÉMON, A TYPE WHICH APPLIES TO ALREADY KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED CREATURES, JUST APPEARED?** "

Ash shrugged, "I guess I never really gave it much thought…but even Mimey was shocked when he and Mom found out about his second typing."

Arceus cleared his throat, " **I HAD MEANT TO INTRODUCE FAIRIES TO THE MULTIVERSE AFTER REGAINING THE JEWEL OF LIFE FROM DAMOS. OBVIOUSLY, THAT DID NOT GO AS PLANNED. BUT AFTER MY…AWAKENING AND SUSEQUENT RECOVERY, I WENT ABOUT WITH MY ORIGINAL PLAN. I ACHIEVED THAT BY CHANGING THE TYPES OF THE THEN FAIRY-LESS POKEMON BACK INTO FAIRIES.** "

Ash frowned in concentration, "What does that mean?"

" **I HAD ALREADY MADE THE FAIRY-TYPE POKÉMON BEFORE I MET DAMOS, BUT I GAVE HIM THE JEWEL OF LIFE INSTEAD BECAUSE I BELIEVED HE HAD GREATER NEED OF ITS POWER THAN I. AS A CONSEQUENCE, THOSE PROTO-FAIRIES HAD TO—HOW TO PUT THIS—ADAPT INTO DIFFERENT TYPES. THOSE LIKE SNUBBULL AND CLEFAIRY, ADAPTED TO BE NORMAL, AND THE** **FLABÉBÉ LINE WERE ALL GRASS-TYPE. I WON'T BORE YOU WITH THE QUANTUM MECHANICS INVOLVED IN CHANGING MULTIPLE SPECIES' TYPING, BUT JUST KNOW THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF TINY LITTLE PARADOXES SCATTERED ACROSS REALITY THAT, UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES, WOULD FIX THEMSELVES UP OVERTIME. BUT THEN HOOPA STIRRED UP TROUBLE AGAIN, AND THE INCURSION OF THE ULTRA BEASTS IN ALOLA CERTAINLY DID NOT HELP MATTERS.** "

Another explosion rocked the void, and after steadying himself, Ash asked, "Okay, fine, there's a lot of issues. But can't Dialga just go back in time and fix this, stop Cyrus and all those other problems before they become big issues?"

Arceus shook his head, " **A SERIES OF OATHS WE—MYSELF, DIALGA, PALKIA, AND GIRATINA—SWORE BACK WHEN REALITY WAS NEWLY FORMED PREVENTS SUCH ACTIONS. OTHERWISE, I WOULD HAVE GONE BACK IN TIME TO KILL DAMOS WHEN I AWOKE FROM MY SLUMBER, OR DIALGA WOULD HAVE PERSONALLY GONE BACK IN TIME TO PREVENT THE INCIDENT IN ITS ENTIERTY, INSTEAD OF SENDING YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS.** "

Ash sighed, accepting the statements. He clenched his fist, narrowing his eyes up at Arceus, "What do you need me to do?"

Arceus hummed, turning around, " **BEHOLD** ," he intoned, and the inky void shimmered violently.

Ash stared in awe as the shimmer dissipated, revealing dozens of rainbow-colored orbs.

"Wh-what are they?"

" **THIS IS THE NEXT MULTIVERSE, AN EXACT COPY OF YOUR, AND EVERY UNIVERSE THAT HAS SPAWNED SINCE THE DAWN OF CREATION.** " Arceus extended his left forelimb, and one of the orbs flew forward, stopping just in front of him, " **AND THIS, IS YOUR UNIVERSE.** "

Ash stared at the orb, mouth running dry. He gulped, "It…looks kind of small."

" **WORRY NOT, ONCE PROPERLY INCUBATED, IT WILL EXPAND EXPONENTIALLY. BUT WE DO NOT HAVE TIME TO EXPLAIN THE INTRICACIES OF CREATION, YOU HAVE A MISSION.** "

Ash nodded determinedly.

Arceus pointed to Ash's Universe, " **I WILL SEND YOU—THAT IS TO SAY, YOUR CONCIOUSNESS—BACK TO WHEN WE FIRST MET, IN MICHINA.** " Ash opened his mouth, a question forming on his lips, which Arceus preempted, " **THE REASON I HAVE CHOSEN YOU ABOVE ANY OTHER IS DUE TO TWO THINGS. YOU HAVE THE NECESSARY AURA TO SURVIVE SUCH A TRIP, AND YOUR PROXIMITY TO MY AWAKENING.** " Ash nodded, that made sense

" **FROM THERE, YOU SHALL PRESENT THIS,** " an orb of red light burst to life in front of Arceus, " **TO ME**." The 'this' in question looked like a miniature Jewel of Life, attached to thick black chain. Ash reached out to touch it, but flinched away, hissing lowly as he shook his hand, "Hot!" he yelped.

" **AH, SUPPOSE I SHOULD HAVE WARNED YOU ABOUT THAT, IT WILL TAKE A BIT TO STABILIZE**."

Ash sucked on his burnt finger, glaring at the glowing object. "Hold on," he said as he blew on his fingers, "If Cyrus—er, his will—is infinite, how will us," he gulped,"…stopping…one of him keep this from happening again."

Arceus flicked his forelimb, sending Ash's Universe back with the rest, " **IT IS TRUE THAT YOUR ACTIONS WOULD NOT IMPACT THE OTHER UNIVERSES, THE OTHER CYRUS'. BUT, WITHIN YOUR UNIVERSE, STOPPING CYRUS WILL CREATE A RIPPLE THAT SHALL AFFECT ALL TIMELINES WITHIN YOUR UNIVERSE. WHEN WE SUCCEED, CYRUS'S IMPRINT ON REALITY WILL HAVE SEVERLY LESSONED, FAR BELOW ANYTHING AS GRAND AS THIS CURRENT PROBLEM, MUCH MORE MANAGEABLE. ANY MORE QUESTIONS?"** Ash shook his head. **"GOOD. NOW, WE WAIT FOR THE MULTIVERSE TO-!"**

An explosion, greater than the rest, rocked the void once more.

Ash's was left jostling from the force of the explosions, and after righting himself, screaming in fright as a dark, silvery ooze latched onto the barrier. Yet, as soon as it appeared, it disappeared in a flash of orange light.

Dialga zoomed into view, coming to a stop just in front of Ash. The giant Pokémon spread his legs, 'bracing' and extending the fins on his back. He reared his head back, and roared, waves of silver energy expanding out from his maw, eradicating what was left of the ooze. Dialga then shifted his head, staring down at Ash.

"Uh, thanks, Dialga!" Ash replied.

The Master of Time nodded, before flying off back to another end of the void.

Ash turned back to Arceus, paling at the sight of a dozen shattered orbs, and a frantic Arceus darting between them all. "What happened?" he cried,

" **I MISCALCULATED. BRINGING YOU HERE AND EXPLAINING THE SITUATION TO YOU SLOWED DOWN MY CREATION PROCESS TOO MUCH.** "

"Can you fix it, start over?"

" **NO,** " Ash's blood froze in his veins, " **IT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG TO RECREATE THEM…BUT PERHAPS I DO NOT HAVE TO…** "

Before Ash could say something, the wheel on Arceus's eyes glowed violently, along with the wheel on his back. The wheel broke off from his back, spinning around his body, becoming a blur of white motion. Several of the orbs glowed white, started to break further, only not as violent as before, more like someone taking scissors to a sheet of paper. More and more 'strips' of universes were collected, and after dozens of strands were floating in the void, they all coalesced onto the broken remains of Ash's Universe, as well as a few others, forming complete orbs once more—if significantly less.

Suddenly, Ash's barrier disappeared, and he was pulled forward, coming to a stop near Arceus's head.

The god spoke, " **I HAVE MANAGED TO FIX THE PROBLEM, THOUGH THERE ARE A FEW COMPLICATIONS. ONE, I WAS NOT ABLE TO RESTORE THE UNIVERSE UP TO YOUR TRAVELS TO MICHINA TOWN. YOU WILL FIND YOUSELF SENT BACK SOME TIME BEFORE THEN—HOW FAR BACK, I CANNOT SAY. SECOND, THIS NEW UNIVERSE SHALL BE…DIFFERENT, THEN THE ONE YOU KNOW. THE EXACT DIFFERENCES ARE BEYOND MY VISION, UNFORTUNATELY, BUT NOTHING THAT SHOULD HINDER YOU. AND FINALLY—"** another explosion brutally shook the void, **"NEVER MIND, YOU WILL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH.** "

Ash whirled around, "Wait! How am I—"

" **GOOD LUCK, ASH KETCHUM,** " Arceus calmly, gently said, " **AND KNOW THAT I HAVE FAITH THAT YOU SHALL SUCCEED.** " With that said, Arceus flicked his forelimb forward, sending Ash screaming into the new Universe.

The necklace quickly took his place. Arceus looked it over, grimacing, but ultimately deciding to send it through along with Ash, but not before forming a pink and green orb of energy.

After all, four items had safely entered the Universe, Arceus's wheel spun once more, entrapping the new Universes in a white barrier.

After that, he sighed, his wheel coming to a stop, once more locking over his torso. Satisfied that he had done all that could be done, Arceus turned back into the void, more silver than black, and roared.

At once, Dialga, Palkia and Giratina appeared, all three panting heavily, with eyes shining with determination.

Arceus felt his heart quiver a beat, and he spent one long moment staring at his eldest children. He then bowed his head low, let out a deep breath, and rose once more, " **YOU HAVE DONE WELL, MY CHILDREN. YOU MAY REST, NOW AND FOREVERMORE.** "

The three Dragons keened lowly, a weight seeming to fall of their shoulders. Then, they straightened as best their fatigued states could allow, and bowed towards their Creator. The three then started to glow, Blue, Pink, and Purple, and their bodies shimmered away, leaving only their gemstones as proof of their existence.

Arceus willed the gems closer to him, resting his forehead against them as the last vestiges of reality broke away.

Then, It arrived.

A massive wave of silvery ooze crashed down in front of him. It said no words, projected no thoughts, merely ate away at everything in its path.

As the Ooze inched closer and closer, Arceus lifted his head up, snarling at the end result of Cyrus's madness. His wheel snapped off, sending out a burst of orange energy, vaporizing the ooze, forcing it back. His eyes shone with righteous fury, and the remains of his children whirled over his head, creating a rainbow-hued halo, an orb of white energy forming between them.

" **THIS IS THE END, YOU FOUL ABOMINATION! YOUR JUDGMENT IS AT HAND!** "

And for one, brief moment, all was light.

 **Line Break**

The first thing Ash became aware of was the dryness of his throat. The second thing was a that he was tightly wrapped by something warm and soft.

He blinked tiredly, smacking his lips, "W-Wha…" he frowned, the ceiling looked very familiar.

"Mime? Mime, Mime, Mis-Mime!"

Ash sat up, rubbing his eyes, "Mimey?"

The psychic-type rushed forward, a wide smile on his face, "Mi-Mime!"

Ash smiled back, happy to see a familiar face—not to mention a solid piece of evidence that he hadn't been sent back as a child or something.

Ash sucked in a breath, then bent over slightly, coughing, "Hey, Mimey, think you can—"

But the Mime Pokémon had already left the room, cries of 'Mime, Mime' echoing throughout the house.

Ash shook his head, laying back down, happy to be home.

Until a terrible thought sparked to life.

Ash bolted upright, "Pika-kof" he bent over coughing into his hand.

"Ash, sweetie?" a muffled, matronly voice said from further in the house.

Ash coughed a bit more violently, "M-mom?" he asked as the door opened.

But the woman that opened the door was not his mother. Instead, it was a woman with black hair done in twin pigtails falling on her back, a few wrinkles creasing her forehead. The woman smiled softly, holding out a glass of water, "Don't worry honey, they're on their way."

Ash stared wide-eyed at the woman, sucking in a breath as his ears started to ring. The woman dropped the glass, rushing over and shouting something Ash couldn't hear over the pain.

Images, sounds, emotions all mashed together inside his head, threatening to turn it into mush. But through it all, every image—every memory, he came to realize—of this woman ended with two, clear descriptions; Grandma, Celia.

But that made no sense, Ash thought as he groaned. His mom's parents passed away when he was a baby.

The door slammed open once more, and Ash looked up, relieved to see the familiar face of his mother. But, as she rushed forward, another figure took her place in the doorframe. A man, taller than both his mother and his supposed grandma. He had brown hair, spiked in a familiar pattern, and dark, almost black eyes that shone with worry.

Once more, Ash was bombarded by memories that weren't his, once again ending with two words; Father, Red.

It became too much, and he quickly passed out.

 **A/N: I've recently come a realization that, while there are a few 'Red is Ash's father' fics out there, they mostly fall under the 'Distant Father' category. Thought I might play my hand at something a bit different. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Whoopsies

 **Pokémon, and all related media, is the property of Nintendo**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **DEITY (OLYMPUS MON) SPEECH"**

 **Line Break**

"Ok, now, just sit still."

Ash grunted, flinching lightly as the doctor shone a light in his eyes.

Delia sat to his right, soothingly rubbing his back.

The doctor hummed, "Well, his eyes are fine—no discoloration, proper dilation," he reached into coat pocket, "Now, I'm going to need you to stick out your tongue and say 'Ahh'." Ash complied.

The doctor pressed Ash's tongue down with a popsicle stick, shining the light down his throat, "…Throat's looking alright too." He removed his instruments, allowing Ash to close his mouth.

"However, just to be safe, I do need to draw some blood for testing," the doctor gazed questioning at Delia.

She sighed, nodding her consent, and from his seat, Red reached into her purse, pulling out the candy bar they'd brought along in case the doctor had to bring out a needle.

However, just as her husband grasped the candy, Ash stuck his arm out, rolling up his sleeve, "Ok," he stated.

Red dropped the bar on the floor, and Delia's eyes widened in disbelief. Ash _hated_ shots—well, needles in general—ever since he was a baby.

The doctor smirked, tapping Ash' leg, "I admire the enthusiasm kiddo, but I don't have the proper tools on me. A nurse will come by in a few minutes." With that said, he left the room.

She shifted over, looking her son in the eyes, "Sweetie, you're okay with getting a shot?" Even if he'd been in a funk for the past few days (discounting the fact that he—along with Gary—had been found unconscious by the lake), Ash was deathly afraid of needles. Heck, last time she practically had to put him in a chokehold to keep him still.

Ash, whose attention was previously on his father, turned to face her. He nodded a confident frown on his face, "I'll be fine."

And just like that, it clicked, and a warm feeling spread through her heart. Her little boy was putting on a brave face for his daddy! Oh, if these were any other circumstances, she'd hug him close to her chest and coo over how brave and strong her little man was becoming!

But, these were not such times. Instead, she clasped his hand in her own, beaming warmly at him.

A nurse came in a few minutes later, with those special needles they use for drawing blood.

The nurse smiled sweetly at Ash, "Hey there kiddo, I'm going to need you to extend your arm for me." Ash did as requested.

As the nurse sterilized the injection site and tied a rubber band around his arm, she said, "Now, you might feel a little pinch when the needle goes in, but I promise that it'll only last a second."

Ash hummed lightly, flexing his fingers.

The nurse hummed a wordless tune as she checked her tools one last time. She then nodded, moving the needle to that it hovered just above Ash's vein. She lifted her eyes to meet his, "Are you ready?" He nodded, and she stuck the needle in.

Delia winced as the tool pierced her son's flesh, and brought her free hand up to Ash's back, softly whispering that her son was such a big, brave boy.

Within a minute, the nurse had drawn enough blood, taking the needle out and quickly putting a bandage in its place. She smiled, "There, was that so bad?"

Ash poked the bandage, shaking his head. "Nah," he replied.

The nurse chuckled, putting Ash's blood in a pouch, "The results should be in by the end of the week." she said to Delia.

As she cleaned up, the doctor entered the room once more. "Well, that should be all. I'll give you a call once the tests come back. Unless you have any more questions?"

Delia shifted her eyes to her husband, then to her son, then back to her husband. Red nodded, gesturing for Ash to come down.

Careful of his bandage, Ash did so, slipping on his shoes and heading for the door. Red smiled, ruffling Ash's hair. He grunted, pushing the hand off him, only to smile as Red held the candy in front of him. Muttering a quick 'thank you', Ash snatched the bar, quickly unwrapping it.

Smiling, the doctor turned to the nurse, "Nurse Jill, would you please escort Ash to the front room?"

Jill nodded, gesturing for Ash to follow, which he did after eyeing the nurse for a moment.

As the door closed behind the pair, Delia noticed a sharp change in Red's mood. He narrowed his eyes, stood straighter, set his face in a frown. Delia suppressed the urge to chuckle, always so serious, her husband.

"Doctor," Delia began, entering a more serious mood herself, "What do you think, will Ash be okay?"

The doctor spread his hands out, "Well, the blood test will tell us definitively, but from what I can tell it's Pokérus."

Red raised his hand to his throat, rubbing it. Delia, for her part, blinked twice, "Pokérus? Samuel found him and Gary by the stream, both of them unconscious! Pokérus-"

"Delia," Red gently interrupted, "Pokérus has a wide variety of symptoms. From something as simple as a runny nose to as dire internal bleeding."

"Thankfully it hasn't come to anything that extreme," the doctor said, "Though the fact that two boys experienced the same symptoms is odd—I believe the Oaks are scheduled for the afternoon." He shook his head, "Regardless, there's been a strain floating around Western Kanto for the past few weeks. Nothing major though; assuming the blood tests come back negative—which I'm fairly positive they will—Ash should be fine in a week."

Delia sighed, relieved at the doctor's words.

"Doctor," Red began, "Ash…are his nerves alright?"

Delia and the doctor both turned to face Red. At their questioning stares, he elaborated, "When the needle entered his vein, he didn't move—not even a flinch."

Delia sucked in a breath, she didn't even think about that, and she held his hand!

The doctor frowned, "I don't believe so—he passed the reflex tests and he didn't report any numbness. Maybe your boy is tougher than he looks." He then shrugged, "Give it a few days. If his nerves are dulled, you should notice bruises or injuries on his body that he doesn't react too; if that happens, there are tests we can perform to determine the extent of the damage."

Delia and Red nodded at that, and after thanking the doctor for his time, left to join their son.

 **Line Break**

Delia hummed lightly as she looked sifted through their movies.

"Anything good?"

She smiled, "I'm looking for Ash's favorite movie; 'Striaton James and the Gem Fossil'." Her smile widened at her husband's soft groan. "Aw, it's a good movie!"

"It's tripe!" he said as he sat down, "Completely stomps both the original movies and logic itself!"

Delia snorted, popping the movie into the player, "It's well-grounded in its established reality."

Red furrowed his brows as Delia sat next to him, "…Clefairy can't learn 'Earthquake'."

Delia sighed, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder, "'Mimic', dear."

"The last move shown on screen was 'Earth Power', not 'Earthquake'!"

Delia reached up, giving Red a quick peck on the cheek, "Of course dear."

Red grumbled under his breath but stayed quiet.

After a couple minutes, Delia sat up, turning around, "Where's Ash?"

Red turned as well, "He said he wanted to wash up." At Delia's furrowed brow he added, "I sent Mimey after him to look after him

Delia's face softened, but she still stood, "I'm going to ch—"

"Mi-Mime!"

Delia and Red bolted from the couch, running to the bathroom. Only to pause at a second cry from Mimey coming, not down the hall, but to their right, towards the kitchen.

Delia spun around, only to pause just before she entered the kitchen.

Red stopped just before bowling her over, "Why'd you stop?"

"Do you hear that?" Delia asked, narrowing her eyes in concentration.

Red shook his head, "Wha—"

Delia ignored her husband's burgeoning question, eyes widening as she identified the sound. She strode forward, crossing the threshold.

There, in front of the sink—standing on a stool—was Ash, wearing a pair of gloves far too big, scrubbing a pot under running water, Mimey, just off to the side, staring at Ash clean. The Pokémon's ears twitched, and he looked over his shoulder. "M-Mime!" he exclaimed.

Ash turned at Mimey's call, frowning when he saw his parents. "Oh, hey Mom…Dad. What's up?"

Delia stepped forward, "Ash, sweetie, what are you doing?"

Ash shut off the sink, "Uh…the dishes?"

Delia nodded, "Yes, I can see that." She pursed her lips, "…Why?"

Ash shrugged, "They were just here, so I figured I'd do 'em."

"O-oh…well you didn't have to do that." She pursed her lips, "Why don't you come to the living room, we've got a movie all ready to go!"

Ash smiled, "Ok," and quickly took off his gloves, dashing for the living room.

"No running in the house," Delia reflexively called.

As Ash replied an apology, Delia and Red exchanged bewildered stares. "Has he been helping you with the dishes?" She asked.

Red shook his head, "No, and I can assume he hasn't done the same with you."

Delia nodded, then turned to Mimey as he called out to them. The pair turned, and Mimey gestured to the wet dishes. Delia smiled, shaking her head, "Leave those for later Mimey, we've got a movie to watch."

Mimey clapped his hands, bowing his head, "Mister Mime!" and strode for the living room.

Delia and Red soon followed, both pushing the current development to the back of their minds.

 **Line Break**

Red's eye twitched as he re-read the Scott's proposal of various 'Battle Facilities' across the world. He didn't find anything immediately wrong with it; too be honest, the idea of having dedicated areas for trainers to test their mettle and better themselves sent his pulse racing. But it all seemed too…grand. For god's sake, the man wanted to have Legendary Pokémon—multiple of the same species! —stored away 'in case we find a worthy challenger'. Ridiculous.

 _*Do-do-di-di-di Do-do-di-di-di Do-do-di-di-di-di-di-do_ _*_

Red flipped open his phone, grunting as he saw the caller. He put it up against his ear. "Hey Red," his best friend said.

"Blue. How's Gary?"

Blue clicked his tongue, "Same as Ash, hit with a sudden strain of Pokérus." Red grunted, "Although…" Blue trailed off.

Red tilted his head, "Although what?"

"Gary…he's been acting strange."

"How so?"

Blue sighed, "I mean, usually he'll act like his normal self—watch T.V., read his comics, play videogames—all that jazz. But, sometimes I catch him just…staring."

"At what?"

"Me, Leaf, all the photos on the wall and on the mantle. It's," he chuckled briefly, "It's almost like he's seeing it, us, for the first time."

"Yeah, Ash has been acting a little strange too."

"Mmh?"

Red furrowed his brow, "He's…cleaner."

"Um…you mean he's washing behind his ears?"

Red snorted at the lame joke, "He almost never used to pick up after himself—always leaving his clothes, toys, and dishes wherever." He leaned back in his chair, "Last night, after dinner we all went to the living room to watch a movie, and Ash said he wanted to wash up—thought he meant he wanted to wash his hands or something; turns out, he was doing the dishes. And then, this morning, Delia found him doing a load of laundry; correctly."

"Huh…you know, Gary's been acting more…mature too, I guess." Red hummed, prompting Blue to continue, "Ok, you know that article for Pokémon Monthly me and Leaf are writing?"

"The one about how Items can affect Pokémon Evolution, right?"

"Yeah that. Anyway, I'm heading over to Pop's lab—he's been holed up there for the past few days, wanted to check up on him, on top of getting him to edit it for us—when I realize that I left it on my desk. I head on back, and I find Leaf poking her head through the office's door. So, what else is there to do but sneak up behind her and find out what's going on. I leaned in close, and asked her, 'What you doing?'; naturally, she freaked, flinching back and—"

"Get to the point."

Blue huffed, "Fine, Mr. Impatient. Anyway, turns out Leaf found Gary reading our paper you know, before he caught sight of Leaf and I peeking in on him."

Red furrowed his brow, "And he…understood it?"

"I mean…he looked pretty into it, nodding at certain parts, narrowing his eyes an tracing bits along with his finger..." he trailed off, leaving a pause in the conversation.

"D—" Blue sighed, "Can Pokérus affect the brain?"

Red shrugged, letting out a sigh of his own, "Delia and I haven't found anything that would suggest it."

"Hmm," Blue grew silent once again.

Red inhaled slightly, "…Why don't you and Leaf bring Gary over tomorrow for dinner, get the kids together."

Gary hummed, "Tomorrow? That can work. Yeah, let's do that. Been awhile since I've had Delia's cooking."

Red grunted, "Tomorrow then."

"Sure. Smell ya later," and with that, Blue disconnected.

Red smiled softly. He then set his phone down, turning his attention back to Scott's email.

 **Line Break**

"Now remember sweetie," Delia said as she watered some plants, "Gary's been sick like you, so try and cheer him up, ok?"

Ash nodded, "Sure mom," but inwardly, he was freaking out a bit. Sure, him and Gary were friends—thankfully, the 'Lake Ball' incident had yet to occur, if it would at all in this new, strange Universe—but Ash was still, mentally, way older than the nine-year-old Gary Oak. Still, if his friend (time-space shenanigans notwithstanding) was sick, he'd be darned if he didn't do his best to cheer him up.

There was a knock on the front door, and soon after, Mimey cried out, "Mister Mi-Mime!"

"Ah, there they are."

Ash followed his mom to the door, eyes widening a bit as he caught sight of Blue and Leaf Oak. Granted, he'd seen pictures of the two (to say nothing of the scant memories that surfaced after the fog lifted) but still, a bit of a shock.

However, he did not have much time to register that feeling, as the moment Leaf caught sight of him, she cried out, "Ash!" and strode forward, lifting him up in a hug. "How's my favorite nephew?"

Ash stilled at that—he and Gary were cousins?!—but more memories surfaced, and he eased into a smile, "You're not really my Aunt, you know?"

She pouted, setting him down, "You and Gary," she muttered under her breath.

"Don't know why you keep that up, Ma," a young, familiar voice drawled. Ash shifted his head, smiling at the sight of Gary standing under the doorframe, arms crossed and a sly smirk on his face, "Last thing I want is to be related to Ash, might catch his lameness."

Despite everything, Arceus's intervention, waking up with two extra family members as a nine-year-old (with a much greater mental capacity), Ash couldn't keep the frown off his face, and found himself treading a path both sets of memories were well-versed in. "Well, maybe if we were related, you'd have a better sense of humor."

Gary sniffed, tilting his head up and away from Ash.

Blue chuckled, "Okay, okay, save it. Give it another year and you two can settle your arguments the way nature intended, through a battle."

"Well, if you two," Gary pointed to both Blue and Red, who had just come in from the backyard, "would lend us some Pokémon, we wouldn't have to wait."

Blue smirked, ruffling his son's hair, "Woah there! Getting a little big for your britches! I don't think either of you could handle Pokémon of our caliber just yet.

Gary frowned at that, as did Ash, though the latter expected it was for very different reasons.

Gary huffed, "Whatever," and walked forward, poking Ash's shoulder, "You get that new copy of Pokkén Weekly?"

Ash recalled the shrink-wrapped magazine he got in the mail yesterday. When he nodded, Gary smirked, pushing past him, "Race you upstairs!"

Ash stumbled slightly, then grinned, dashing after, "Oh no you don't!"

"Boys! No running indoors," not one, but two matronly voices shouted.

Ash and Gary froze, slowly looking behind them.

"Yes, Mom."

"Sorry, Ma."

The two then slowly made their way to Ash's room. After entering, Gary quickly found the magazine. He turned towards Ash, a frown on his face as he fiddled with the wrapping, "You haven't opened it yet?"

Ash scratched his cheek, "Well…I've been a little busy."

Gary looked down, "Yeah…that's fair," tore open the wrapping, opening the magazine, and sat down on the floor, gesturing for Ash to read as well.

They'd barely made it a few pages, when Gary said, "Hey, what starter are you thinking of getting? After all, it's only a year away."

Ash's breath caught in his throat. He'd done his best to push thoughts of his beloved starter in the back of his mind—after all, Pikachu might not have even been hatched yet.

"I mean, you're always going on about getting a Charmander like your old man."

Ash stilled at the reminder of his father—he hadn't considered that at all. First time around, he only got Pikachu because he was late! Before, his mom had left the house to meet with the other parents of the kids who'd earned their starter from Professor Oak; hence the alarm he unwittingly broke.

"Personally, I don't think you're up to the task of a Charmander."

But now he had two parents, and there was no way both of them would leave him alone and potentially miss such a big day. But not getting Pikachu, that…the thought alone was unbearable.

"Nah, I think a Pikachu is more your speed."

Ash wallowed in despair for another minute, before jolting as Gary's last sentence sunk in.

He whirled around to face Gary, who had an indescribable look on his face, "After all, you're both small, frail, stubborn."

Ash gulped, "Gary…I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that you're favorite Pokémon is Umbreon."

As the words left Ash's mouth, a weight lifted off Gary's shoulder. The boy slumped forward, dropping his hands on Ash's shoulders, "Thank god! I thought I was going mad!"

Ash gently pushed Gary back, looking him in the eyes, "Gary, what do you remember?"

Gary gulped, running his hands through his hair and looking up at the ceiling, "All I know is that I was in Kalos doing some research on Fossils in Glittering Cave, and next thing I know I wake up, in my house, nine-years-old, with a writing headache that tells me the two people hovering over me are my Ma and Pop!" Gary dropped his head back down, panting, a disbelieving smile worming its way onto his face, "Ash, I never knew my parents; all my life it's just been me and Gramps."

He took a moment to steady himself, "…What happened?"

Thus, Ash explained, as well as he could, how Cyrus destroyed the Universe, how Arceus meant for things to play out, and how things ended up as they were now.

After Ash finished his tale, Gary sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Man…have to admit, for all his faults, Cyrus is impressively determined."

Ash giggled, "Arceus said almost the exact same thing."

"Well, great minds think alike I suppose."

Ash rolled his eyes, "Whatever," and the pair fell into a comfortable silence. Only for a cold realization—more chilling than not meeting Pikachu—to sweep over his being.

"The necklace!" he shouted.

Gary jumped backwards at the sudden exclamation, but he quickly caught on. "Wait, you mean the main reason Arceus sent you back in time?"

Ash nodded frantically, hurriedly tossing clothes and small toys over his shoulder.

"How the heck could you lose that?!" Gary said as he joined Ash in his search.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was busy being unconscious and reconciling the fact that my Dad's still around!"

Gary paused for a moment, "…That's fair."

The searched for ten minutes, trashing Ash's room in the process, but came up empty.

Gary pinched the bridge of his nose, "Okay…could your parents have found it?"

Ash shook his head, "No. Mom, at least, would have mentioned it."

"What about Mimey?" He frowned, "Wait, didn't your Mom get him after you—"

"Started my journey, yeah," Ash finished, "Apparently, in this timeline, he was a trade my Dad got, but Mimey took more to housework than battling, so Mom kept him around instead of sending him with Dad's other Pokémon."

"…That's a really weird change."

"Yeah…" Ash trailed off, before shaking his head and smacking his cheeks lightly, "Grr, focus! Where could it be?!"

Gary thought on the problem as well, but then snapped his fingers, "The lake! We were found at the lake, maybe it was left there."

Ash let out a breath, exiting his room, "It's a start."

The pair barreled down the stairs, rushing for the front door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Ash and Gary froze, slowly turning to face Leaf. Gary smiled uneasily, "Just heading out Ma, Ash's room got boring."

Ash nodded along with Gary's answer, plastering a wide smile on his face.

Leaf pursed her lips, walking forward, "I don't think you two should leave. After all, you're both still shaking off the Pokérus."

Gary pouted, closing the gap and clasping two of her fingers in his hands, "Please Mama," he coyly— _coyly_ —mumbled as he stared up at her with wide, child-like eyes, "We'll be reeeeally careful!" he stressed.

Ash stared wide-eyed at the display, and almost fell over as Leaf cooed and clicked her tongue, "Alright, but get back before sunset."

Gary smiled widely, moving forward and hugging his mother, "Thanks," he said, and quickly went out the door, Ash trailing just behind.

After making some distance from the house, Ash asked, "Gary, what was that?"

Gary chuckled uneasily, "It's, uh, something I've been doing—had done—whatever; when I do that, she almost always caves in to what I want."

"…Well, it was weird."

"Eh, nothing I haven't seen you do."

Ash opened his mouth to retort, but slowly closed it as memories from both this life and his old one came to the forefront of his mind, detailing the exact thing Gary described.

 **Line Break**

As Leaf watched Ash and Gary run off, a voice behind her said, "You really think that was the best idea?"

She scoffed, "Ah, they'll be fine. Besides, they shook off the worst of their bout of Pokérus better than you did."

Red hummed, narrowing his eyes as he watched the boys shrink into the distance. After a moment, he called out, "Mimey."

The barrier Pokémon quickly came into view. "Mime-Mime?"

Red jerked his head towards the two boys, "Keep an eye on them."

Mimey tilted his head, "Mis-Mime?" he said, pointing behind him.

Red waved his hand, "I'll help Delia, you just keep an eye on Ash and Gary."

"Mister Mime!" the Pokémon saluted, and marched off towards the boys.

 **A/N: Before anyone starts talking about timeline issues, let me just say that the base timeline—the 'orb' which Arceus tacked stuff onto—is the Anime timeline, so the world still mostly revolves around Ash. Keep that in mind if you have questions about how the Game timeline fits into this. Otherwise, be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Old Friends

 **Pokémon, and all related media, is the property of Nintendo**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **DEITY (OLYMPUS MON) SPEECH"**

 **Line Break**

Gary doubled over, panting heavily as he tried to keep steady, "Oh…my…god…I hate—hate, I tell you!—how short my legs are!"

Ash, panting, though nowhere near as harshly as Gary, nodded, "Yeah, it stinks."

Gary lifted his head slightly, glaring at Ash. Instead of saying anything, however, he trudged over to the edge of the lake. After taking a moment to gather his breath, he stood, "Okay," he began, "where could it be?"

"Probably over there," Ash said, pointing forward, slightly to the left. Gary shifted his gaze accordingly, frowning at the ugly, water-filed gash surrounded by broken reeds.

The two boys-turned-to-younger-boys walked around the edge of the lake, quickly reaching the unnatural addition.

Gary turned to Ash, "It's a red stone attached to a black chain, right?"

Ash grunted an affirmative, already rolling up his sleeves and kneeling down. Gary took the same position opposite Ash, and soon the two were searching for Arceus's necklace.

After ten minutes, Ash fell back onto his butt, "Argh! It's not here!"

Gary scowled, shaking water off his hands, "Yeah. Dammit, what if it washed into the lake? It's at least 15 feet deep, we'll never find it on our own!"

Ash sighed, looking out at the lake. Then, he perked up, jumping to his feet and waving his arms, calling out, "Hey!"

Gary turned, catching sight of a school of about four poliwag's. Soon, he too was jumping up, calling out to the water-types.

Thankfully, one of them noticed Ash and Gary before they swam too far away, and, suitably curious, came over, the other three following close behind.

As the lead poliwag waded just before the shore, Ash and Gary knelt down. "Hey there, Poliwag," Ash said, "How are you doing?"

The tadpole Pokémon smiled, "Wag, wag!" it replied.

Gary cleared his throat, "Hey, we're trying to find something that we lost a couple days ago, think you can help us?"

Poliwag lilted to the side, "Poli-oliwag?"

Ash and Gary—neither being experts on water-type behavior—took that as a helpful sign. Ash leaned closer, "We're looking for a necklace; it's got a thin black chain attached to a circular, red jewel."

"...Pol?" it said blankly.

Ash hung his head, muttering something about wild Pokémon and Human accessories. Gary, meanwhile, had found a stick just to his right. Calling the poliwag's attention, he drew a very rough shape of a necklace into the mud.

At this, Poliwag bobbed in the water excitedly, turning around to converse with its group. After about half-a-minute, one of the tadpoles dove underwater, and the rest returned their gazes to Ash and Gary.

Luckily, before things could grow awkward, the poliwag returned, with a poliwhirl coming up close behind.

The evolved Pokémon swam forward at the poliwags's insistence, croaking when it saw the picture Gary drew.

"You've seen the necklace?" Gary asked.

"Poli, Poliwhirl," Poliwhirl nodded. It then turned, pointing forward; following its line-of-sight revealed the main building of Professor Oak's Laboratory.

Gary slammed his fist into his palm, "Of course!" he cried, "Gramps is the one who found us, who else could have the necklace?"

Ash nodded, standing up. Looking down, he smiled, waving at the Pokémon, "Thanks for all the help!"

The water-types all smiled, offering their own goodbyes before diving back into the lake.

Ash and Gary once more ran ahead.

 **Line Break**

As they neared the Lab, Ash asked, "Hey, have you seen the Professor since your memories…merged?"

Gary shook his head, "Nah. Actually, no one's seen Gramps for a few days. Said he's been trying see how far the Pokérus has spread in Pallet Town."

Ash grunted, slowing to a stop as they reached the front door. Quickly, he rang the doorbell, "Hello?" he called out, "Professor Oak, you in there?"

Gary pounded his fist against the door, "Yo, Gramps! Can you open the door, me and Ash have a couple questions for you!"

But there was no reply. They each tried again, but still nothing.

Finally, Gary growled, walking along the left wall of the building.

Ash followed closely behind, "What are you doing?"

Gary stopped in front of a tall window. He ran his hands underneath it, grunting lightly as he pulled backwards on a hidden latch, "Gramps—in both timelines—has a plastic key tucked away here in case he loses his main set."

Ash hummed in understanding, then blinked, "Wait, why plastic?"

Gary shrugged, twirling the key in his fingers, "Lots of Pokémon out there that have X-ray vision or can manipulate metal."

Ash conceded that fact.

The pair made it back to the front door, easily opening the door. Immediately, both were set on edge. Ash cautiously stepped forward, "Gary, is it usually this quiet in the lab in the afternoon…and dark?"

Gary shook his head, stepping in line with Ash, "Never in all the times I've been here."

"Same here."

The carefully made their way forward, making note of the papers and bits of metal strewn about everywhere. Ash gulped, "Gary, Professor Oak is here, right?"

"Yeah. I mean, I haven't personally seen him for a couple days, but I've heard Ma and Pop talk with him on the phone—briefly, at any rate."

Just then, the two caught sight of a faint light, further in the building. Further investigation revealed it to be a sliver of light shining through a door.

Slowly, Ash opened to door, peeking his head through, "Professor Oak?"

The room itself was in even worse shape than the rest of the lab. Wires splayed out haphazardly from unfinished machines, balls of paper littered the floor, grease and oil stained the walls. And to top it all off, Professor Oak lay on an equally messy desk, drool pooling beneath his open, snoring mouth.

Ash fully opened the door, "Professor?" he called once more.

At once, Oak shot up, rubbing his eyes as he turned around. "Wha? Who's there?" he said drowsily. Removing his hand, he blinked jolting back, "Ah, Ash, Gary! What are you doing here?"

Neither Ash nor Gary replied, too stunned by his appearance. Professor Samuel Oak, the pinnacle of his profession, looked like he just lost a fight with a garbodor. His clothes and labcoat were stained with what looked like grease, oil, and sweat. His eyes were bloodshot and baggy, and his hair looked flat and unclean.

Gary took a step back, "Gramps…what have you been doing here?"

Suddenly, the Professor clapped his hands, making both boys flinch "What can I say my boys?" there was a nervous tinge to his voice, "A professor's work is never done!"

Ash and Gary exchanged glances, then Ash coughed into his hand. "Er, Professor, we're looking for something I lost a couple of days ago."

It was quick, but there was a quirk in the Professor's lips that Ash almost missed, "Oh? What did you lose, Ash?"

"A necklace," Gary said, miming the shape around his neck, "Black chain, red jewel. You seen it?"

Professor Oak noticeably flinched at that. "A-ah," he stammered, "w-well I can't say that I have."

Ash and Gary slowly nodded, then turned around, leaning close to each other. "Do you think," Ash frowned, smacking his lips, "Do you think he…you know?" he whispered.

Gary shrugged, "One way to find out." He turned around, "In about a year's time you're going to give me squirtle and Ash a pikachu."

Ash's eye's widened at the blunt statement, but he couldn't deny that it worked, given the way the tension seemed to flow out of Oak's spine, a grateful sigh escaping his lips. "So, you two are aware, then?"

The two nodded, and the professor let out a ragged sigh, falling back into a chair. "Oh, thank god. For a while I thought I was alone in this whole," he gestured lazily, "mess."

Gary smiled soflty, "Nah, Gramps," he clasped his hands behind his head, "we're here to suffer with you."

Oak reciprocated the smile. He then lost his smile, settling a blank stare on Ash, "I hate to say this, my boy, but I believe you may have something to do with this."

Ash chuckled sheepishly, scratching his chin. He then relayed his tale to Oak, who hummed along at the right parts, asking for details whenever possible (not that Ash was able to give all that many, since his time with Arceus was very brief).

After Ash finished the tale, Oak leaned forward, steepling his fingers. "Well Ash, after I found you and Gary by the lake, I found the necklace in a small gash in the earth. It's actually the reason why I've spent the last few days in here."

He licked his lips, a haunted look in his eyes. "Ash, Gary…you're both aware that your parents—your father, Ash—didn't exist in the same capacity, correct?"

Slowly, the two nodded.

He took a long, shuddering breath. "Both of you are too young to remember when and why they left your lives; but it was a very trying time for everyone involved. When I recalled a separate life without my," he gulped, "m-my son, I am not ashamed to say that I locked myself away to keep myself from falling down at his feet and weeping."

"So, you've been here to keep from crying at the sight of…pops?"

"Well, yes, but there's more to it than that." He stood up, walking over to a file cabinet.

"Well, what about Aunt Daisy. No one's ever mentioned her before."

Oak flinched, "She…we lost contact," he said, voice thick with emotion.

Gary decided not to press the issue.

Oak reached into the cabinet, pulling out a black, blocky locket attached to a black chain. "This…gem releases a very strange radiation. Nothing harmful," he quickly added at Ash and Gary's stricken faces, "But I believe it's why the three of us are aware of the other timeline."

He lightly tossed the necklace in his hands, "I've spent the last few days devising a device to prevent it from projecting that radiation; I believe I've succeeded." That said, he tossed the item to Ash, who caught it easily.

Ash turned the locket over in his hand, "It's a little warm."

"Well, it is a machine."

Gary crossed his arms, "Wait, what's the other reason you wanted to stay here?"

Oak sighed, gazing sadly at Ash. "My boy, I know your mother has always been a positive woman, but your father's…disappearance, was hard on her. But now," he smiled, "Red is a constant fixture in both of your lives."

A lightbulb flashed to life in Ash's mind. With a trembling voice, he said, "You didn't want to risk my mom remembering her life without dad."

Oak spread his hands, "To say nothing of your father himself, or Blue and Leaf." He shook his head, "I can't control what you do with this gem, Ash. You can use its properties to remind someone capable of help—perhaps a region Champion or another person of equal influence. But I beg of you," he swallowed thickly, "No matter what, do not show this item to either of your parents. Promise me!"

Ash nodded resolutely, putting the necklace around his neck "I promise, Professor."

He smiled, another weight lifting from his shoulders, "That's all I ask."

Gary, after letting a moment of silence pass, said, "Okay, what's our game plan?"

Oak hummed, "I suppose I'll start by making some calls to Sinnoh—Rowan, especially. Find out more about how Cyrus got his start."

"Gah!" Ash suddenly cried as a red light filled the room, "That's bright!"

"Mime, mime-mister mime!" another voice cried.

The three humans whirled around, paling at the shimmering wall revealing a doubled over Mimey. Ash ran over to his mother's Pokémon, "Mimey, Mimey, stay with us!"

Groaning lowly, the humanoid Pokémon pressed his hand against his forehead, screwing his eyes shut. Eventually, he opened them. He then shot up, forcing Ash back.

"Mime! Mi-mime mister mister mi-mime!"

Ash held his hands out, "Mimey, Mimey! Calm down." He furrowed his brows, "What are you even doing here?"

" _He was observing you at your father's request."_

At yet another now voice—this one seeming to be inside their heads and somewhat feminie—the three humans and one Pokémon whirled around to a truly shocking sight.

There, floating about four feet off the ground, were a Mew, and Celebi. The Mew looked much like the rest of its kind; pink with feline features and a long, prehensile tail, an ever-present smile on its face. The Celebi, though green and physically similar to the rest of its kind, looked somewhat…weary. A very sharp contrast to its pink companion.

Oak was the first to speak, well, stammer. "O-o-o-oh my."

The Mew flew forward, stopping just in front of him, " _Hello there_ ," she said.

Oak gulped, still somewhat disbelieving of the fact that the ancestor of all Pokémon was not even a foot in front of him (a bit silly, considering the two sets of memories in his head, but still, it's not every day you meet a Mew). "H-Hi."

She hummed, " _Oh yes…he's exactly as you've described_."

"W-who?"

" _That would be me,_ " the Celebi stated tiredly. She lifted her head, smiling softly, " _Hello again, Sammy."_

He blinked once, twice, before rearing back in surprise. "Celebi, you're that Celebi?!"

She nodded slowly, flitting forward. She placed a hand on his fuzzy cheek, " _It's good to see you again_ ," she frowned heavily, " _I just wish it was under more pleasant circumstances._ "

"Woah, hold on a second!" Gary cried out. "You mean Gramps's story about time-travel in Johto was true?!"

"Hold on!" Ash cried out as well, "You're Sammy?!"

"You were there?!"

Oak chuckled, "Took you long enough, Ash."

Before the two could start up again, Celebi said, " _Please, don't yell._ " She rubbed her temples, _"I don't need the extra stress_."

"Wait, what's wrong? Are you sick?" Oak asked worriedly.

" _Yes and no,_ " Mew answered for her companion, _"Our Lord Arceus, in his infinite wisdom, decided to give her a greater hold on the timestream_."

Celebi groaned, _"It's horrible!_ " she shouted, _"Such a haphazard hodgepodge of space-time just threatening to tear apart! It's taking the effort of every Celebi across time to keep reality from destroying itself!_ "

Gary frowned, "What about Palkia, Dialga, heck, even Giratina?"

The two Mythical Legendary Pokémon chuckled (though Celebi's was slightly more desperate than Mew's), " _Given how Arceus formed this new universe, as far as they are aware, this is how things have always been._ "

" _Besides,_ " Celebi grouched, " _Those three are too busy pissing each other off to bother doing their actual jobs. To say nothing of the fact that it's next to impossible to enter their domains."_

"M-Mister?" Mimey meekly said.

Ash whirled around, face heating up, "Oh, Mimey," he scratched the back of his head, "I almost forgot you were there."

Mimey huffed, wagging a finger at Ash, "Mister mi-mime mis mime-ter-mime!" He then frowned, crossing his arms, "Mis-mime…"

Ash furrowed his brow, trying to decipher Mimey's cries.

" _He's saying that you really need to be aware of your surroundings outside of a battle, or something related to Pokémon; it's one of the main reasons your mother worries. Along with the father who he both does and does not remember existing_."

Ash nodded, "Yeah, it's still a little weird to think about that." He frowned, "Hey, how come you aren't passed out or locking yourself in a room?"

Mimey huffed, crossing his arms, "Mime-mis," he said smugly.

Ash's eye twitched, "He just said something about Pokémon being better than humans, didn't he?"

" _Less mentally fragile,"_ Mew corrected with a laugh, _"And he isn't wrong_."

Ash grumbled beneath his breath, while Gary asked, "Wait, it's obvious why Celebi remembers things, but why would you?"

In response, Celebi grabbed onto Mew's tail. Mew's eyes glowed briefly, and a blue glow surrounded Celebi; within seconds, she 'stood' straighter, eyes losing their tiredness. " _Mew make excellent batteries,_ " she said evenly. Before the pair burst into laughter at the four incredulous stares facing them.

As they laughed, Oak turned to Gary and Ash, "I guess this mean's we've got three new allies in our grand quest."

Ash and Gary smiled, though Ash's was tinged with sadness. Oak immediately asked what was wrong.

Ash shrugged, "It's just…I'm worried about Pikachu." He shrugged miserably, "I'm afraid I'll never see him again."

Oak nodded as Gary rubbed Ash's back. "Well, I'll do what I can, Ash." He shrugged, "I doubt your father's presence will do much to change the fact that a wild pikachu will be chewing on power cables a couple days before you get your first Pokémon."

"Are you sure?"

Oak only sighed.

Mew and Celebi watched on in silence, contemplating the two young boys. Then, Mew leaned closer to Celebi, whispering something. As Celebi whispered back, Ash noticed what they were doing. Before he could say anything, however, Celebi's eyes glowed green, and Mew dissapeared in a flash of pink light.

Gary (unfortunate enough to have been staring directly at Mew) exclaimed, rubbing his eyes, "Geez! Where'd she go in such a hurry?"

Celebi just smiled.

Less than a minute passed, and Mew returned in another flash of light, followed by two more bright flashes.

"Pi-pi-pichu!" a tiny, yellow mouse exclaimed.

Ash, Mimey, Oak, and Gary stared incredulously at the small Pichu standing just beneath Mew; alternating between staring up at the two Legendary Pokémon in awe, and nervously glaring at it new surroundings (and the three humans nearby).

Ash's breath caught in his throat. He jerked his head up at Mew, who nodded, a wide smile on her face.

Slowly, Ash knelt down, "H-H-He," he cleared his throat, "Hey there, little guy."

Pichu, attention fully vested in Ash, fell on all fours, cheeks sparking wildly, yelping lightly when a stray bolt of electricity shocked his own tail.

Ash's heart fell, until he recalled his new necklace. Quickly, he opened the locket, wincing as a harsh red glow filled the room.

Ash quickly closed the necklace, blinking away the harsh light. Suddenly, a light weight crashed into his chest.

Ash looked down, tearing up at sight the electric type gripping his shirt tightly. "Pi-pi-pi!" he cried. Just then, he was engulfed in a bright white glow. After the light dissipated, Pikachu lifted his head up, smiling at Ash with teary-eyes, "Pi-ka-chu!"

"Pikachu!" Ash cried, pulling up his partner in a grand hug, "I missed you so much!"

"Pi-pika-pi!" Pikachu nuzzled into Ash's neck, "Pika-chu, chu-chu-pi!"

Oak sniffed, wiping away a tear. To his left, Gary sighed, "No matter how many times I see it, those two always make me feel happy by sheer proximity."

Oak nodded, moving to place a hand on his grandson's shoulder.

 _CRACK_

The two of them turned at the sudden sound, perplexed at the sight of a Pokémon egg beneath Celebi.

 _CRACK CRI-CRACK_

The egg began to shake heavily, cracks forming all along the edge. The shaking soon reached a fever pitch, and another bright white light surrounded the egg. There was one final _CRACK_ and a shape jumped out from the egg.

"Eev-Eeevee!" the freshly hatched Evolutionary Pokémon barked.

Gary's hands fell to his side, "N-No way."

Ears perking up at his voice, Eevee turned, breaking out into a bright smile.

Gary dashed forward, falling to his knees and scooping Eevee up into a hug; unlike Ash and Pikachu, neither said anything, happy enough to be together again.

And just like Pikachu, Eevee began to glow. A brief moment passed, and the brown-furred Eevee had evolved into a pink furred Espeon.

Oak and Mimey, previously silent at the displays of love and affection before them, dropped their jaws. Oak turned to Mew and Celebi, "Uh…that's very different from before."

Celebi frowned, _"Yes…I hadn't considered the position of the sun_."

" _But does it really matter?"_ Mew gently stated.

As Oak looked back at his grandchild, still holding onto the now evolved Espeon as though his life depended on it, he decided that no, it didn't.

 **A/N: So, I know that Eevee/Umbreon/Espeon wasn't Gary's starter, but I always felt that they shared a closer bond than him and Blastoise. Plus, you know,** ** _Pokémon Yellow_** **references. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Excuses, Excuses

 **Pokémon, and all related media, is the property of Nintendo**

"Talking"

" _Mental Speech"_

" **DEITY (OLYMPUS MON) SPEECH"**

 **/+/+/+/+/**

Ash sighed, clutching his beloved partner closer to his chest. The world ended, he was stuck in a kid's body, his dad was still around; his life had become the very definition of chaos—even compared to normal. But he had Pikachu now, so all was well.

"Pika…pi" the Pokémon softly gasped, lightly kicking Ash's chest.

"Hm? Ah!" Ash quickly pulled back, giving Pikachu the chance to breath. "Sorry, buddy."

"Pi-pika," the yellow mouse said with a smile, reaching up to pet his cheek. Ash reciprocated the gesture by scratching under his partner's chin, earning a pleased coo in response. Until Pikachu looked past his partner's shoulder, and his face fell. "…Ka-cha," he sighed wearily.

" _Well hello to you too, Mr. Grumpy-puss_ ," Mew said playfully.

"Hello, Pikachu," Professor Oak said.

"… _Hmm-Zzah_ ," Celebi snored.

Ash turned around at that, gazing concernedly at the fairy Pokémon who was slowly dipping towards the ground. "Uh…"

" _Oh, don't mind her_ ," the ancestor Pokémon said dismissively. " _She's been going full-tilt since the beginning of this whole mess. I'm honestly surprised she's lasted this long_."

Ash watched as Celebi sank further and further towards the floor. "Uh…should we—"

" _Hah—AH! Don't touch that dial_!" Celebi suddenly shouted, startlingly everyone around her as her wings fluttered at a fever-pitch, returning her to her previous height.

"Wah!" Professor Oak exclaimed.

" _Hmm_ ," Mew grunted.

"Jeez!" Gary hissed.

"Espeon!" Gary's Umbreon screeched.

Ash blinked; Gary's Umbreon said what?

He and Pikachu turned to the duo, and Ash couldn't help but point and shout incoherently at the pink-furred Pokémon in his friend's arms.

Gary jolted, "Wha—Ash what are…you…oh…" he trailed off as he, for the first time, registered what type of Pokémon he held.

"Espeon?" the psychic-type asked. Only to pause, "Espeon?" The Sun Pokémon looked down at his arms, eyes widening in alarm as he poked at the pink fur lining his body. "E-E-Espeon!" he started to hyperventilate, only calming a little when Gary once more swept him into his arms.

" _I'm taking full responsibility for this little…snafu_ ," Celebi said guiltily, slowly floating before Gary and Um—Espeon. " _Sun's still up. Didn't consider that fact when I sent Mew to get your Egg_." As Gary stroked his Pokémon's back, she added, " _I can turn back time if you'd like, make him an Eevee again_."

"You can do that?" Professor Oak asked.

" _Not normally. But now that I have a personal battery pack_ …" Mew stuck her tongue out at her fellow Legendary, but she didn't shut down the plan either.

"Er, what do you think U—Espeon," Gary asked the psychic-type. The Pokémon looked down, flexing his paws. Then, he shook his head, looking back up at Gary and cooing softly. Gary smiled, gently scratching the Pokémon behind the ear, eliciting a slightly louder coo. "At least that's still that same," he mumbled fondly. Aloud, he said, "I think we'll be fine like this."

Celebi just nodded, a slight smile on her face.

Ash looked down at his partner, "What about you?" Pikachu looked up confusedly, "You fine with your sudden evolution?"

"Pika-Pika…" the yellow mouse drawled, crossing his arms and rubbing his chin. Ash just smirked, bending down to pat his Pokémon's head. Pikachu giggled, leaning into the hand.

"Well, might as well go home and—gah!" Ash screamed, grasping his hair in his hands.

"What is it my boy?" Professor Oak asked worriedly.

"Our parents!"

Panic flew across Gary and Professor Oak's faces. Even Mew and Celebi grew a little apprehensive. But Pikachu and Espeon just looked confused. Pikachu gently nudged Ash's knee. "Pika-Cha?" he asked, head titled to the side.

"No, not Mom," Ash replied. "Well, maybe her too, but I'm talking about my Dad." Pikachu's eyes bugged out, "Yeah, he's around now. So are Gary's parents."

"Espeon?" the Pokémon stared up at Gary, who nodded jerkily.

"Mis-Mime," Mimey suddenly said. Pikachu and Espeon turned their attention to the Mime Pokémon, moving closer to converse rapidly with the him. Mew and Celebi moved closer as well, occasionally commenting on Mimey's tale.

As they did so (with Pikachu and Espeon occasionally turning back to stare wide-eyed at the humans), Professor Oak said, "Ooh…hadn't considered how to keep you all together."

"Whaddya mean, Professor?" Ash said, "I mean, sure, it'll be a bit of a learning curve for them, but—"

"Not that Ash."

"Is it cause we're too young?" Gary spoke up.

"No. There are kids younger than you who have entire teams given to them." Ash frowned at that; the concept of gifting multiple Pokémon to children never sat well with him. Didn't seem fair.

"No," Professor Oak rubbed his cheek, "it's…well, honestly it's Espeon."

Gary's face grew grave. He gulped, "What about him?"

"It's nothing bad, per say," the Professor was quick to assuage his grandson's fears. "But…they are exceedingly rare Pokémon. They seldom appear in the wild, mainly because of the deep level of _trust_ necessary for it to evolve from an Eevee into an Espeon. Trust that can take months, if not years, to grow."

Ash and Gary's eyes widened at his words. Ash turned to Gary, "…People are going to ask a lot of questions."

"Too many questions," Gary said with a slow nod. He then frowned, turning to the Professor, "Can't we just say he's a gift?"

"Sure." He shrugged, "That'd keep the town from making too much of a fuss—or a different kind of fuss, but they won't ask many questions. But your parents?" He grimaced, "Plus, I don't think they, nor Delia or Red, would appreciate me giving their children Pokémon without their knowledge."

Ash groaned, not having considered that. Even now, every calendar in his house had the day Professor Oak gave out starter's circled, with bright blue letters saying, 'Ash Gets His First Pokémon!' He was pretty sure he hadn't entered classes yet either, they were just that excited.

"But maybe…" Professor Oak trailed off with a frown. "I mean…but then again…the timeline could work…it's illegal but considering the circumstances" he muttered.

"What?" Ash and Gary said after that last bit.

The Professor stared stonily at them, "…How much do you boys know about Pokérus?"

Ash and Gary exchanged a look. Gary answered, "It's a disease that affects people negatively, and Pokémon positively."

Professor Oak nodded, "More-or-less. You two were infected with it; I suspect from before this whole…thing," he gestured erratically in the air. "started. And if I had to guess, you got it from some Pokémon from the Lab. The majority of them _are_ infected; I did end up looking into it while building the locket."

"Where are you going with this?" Gary asked impatiently.

"Well, as you know I don't discourage wild Pokémon from living within the Lab's property. Sometimes they even allow me to study them."

Gary gasped, evidently putting it all together before Ash could. "You want to…you want to…to falsify data saying that Pikachu and…Espeon have been here for a while."

The Professor grimaced, "I want to falsify data saying that you two were bonding with a Pichu and Eevee that wandered into the Lab some weeks prior, who then mysteriously evolved after being infected with Pokérus."

"Professor," Ash began, gulping loudly, "That…that sounds wrong."

"I know, and I wouldn't even dream of suggesting it were the circumstances not so…" he trailed off. "Regardless," he shook his head, "I won't…I won't do anything with the notes. Maybe show them to you parents if they ask, but I'm not going to submit them to review or something like that." He let loose a long sigh, "I'll just…stuff them at the bottom of the pile until I get around to deleting them."

"…You know," Gary spoke up after a bit, "We could just…keep 'em in the lab for a bit."

"No," Ash immediately shut down the suggestion.

"Ash, c'mo—"

"I'm not doing that, Gary," he cut his friend off. "I'm not letting Pikachu out of my sight." Maybe it was selfish, but the world ended, and they weren't together. And when the world was remade, they were still separated. Worse, it took Gary for him to truly realize that. No. They wouldn't be apart for a second.

Gary glared stonily at Ash; a look he readily returned. Unfortunately for Gary, Ash had spent a significant portion of his life staring down people and creatures far more powerful and threatening than the nine-year-old Gary Oak. Which his friend seemed to realize, given then way he cursed, averting his gaze.

"Fine," he said, "we'll do it your way."

Ash blinked, "Wait, you're going to—"

"Might as well go whole-hog in this little scheme," the young boy said with a roll of his eyes.

"Ah, don't worry my boy!" Professor Oak said jovially, gently patting his back, "I'm the one who's going to be the most scrutinized by your parents." He blanched, "Matter-of-fact, I should probably get started on this illegal venture of ours. And some last-minute research in case anyone asks questions."

Gary grimaced, gingerly stepping away from his grandfather. "And take a shower."

Ash giggled when the Professor took a moment to smell himself, gagging lightly, "That too."

 **/+/+/+/+/**

Samuel Oak was a simple man. After burning through his youthful exuberance, he'd discovered that all he needed was Pokémon, his research, and his family (and maybe some poetry and gateau on the side).

And then his son and his son's wife perished in that dreadful accident, and his simple life had a hole torn in it. A hole that he hadn't even known existed until he'd found that darn jewel.

In truth, creating a device—which was currently burning a hole in his pocket. He and Ash decided that that, at least, would stay with him for the time being—capable of containing the jewel's radiation only took about a day (which reminded him, he needed to come up with a plausible way to 'gift' it to Ash). It was the fear of once again seeing his son and daughter-in-law face-to-face after remembering his previous life that kept him locked away in his lab.

And now he was walking along the road to the Ketchum residence, where they currently were. Where Ash's father was as well. A father who never left on a second journey after a lackluster first one. A father who, along with his son, still held the records for the youngest Regional Champions in the world—far greater accolades than either had achieved the first time around.

Good Heaven's, he wasn't ready.

But he had to be. For the boys' sakes if nothing else.

He looked behind him. Pikachu, as per-the-norm, was sitting atop Ash's shoulder. Gary held Um—Espeon! He's an Espeon now—in his arms. The poor Pokémon was a little awkward on his feet, kept tripping over nothing. Samuel attributed it to the long tail—far longer and thinner than the thick, short tails of its dark-type counterpart.

The Pokémon themselves were conversing with Mimey—who's existence at this point-in-time still boggled the mind. At a guess, the Barrier Pokémon was cluing in the other two on how different things were now. By all accounts, Espeon was taking everything in stride.

Pikachu, on the other hand, kept his eyes wide, staring at Ash and harshly whispering questions at Mimey. Ash just smiled tiredly, idly scratching his partner's ears.

"Pops! Finally left the lab I see!"

Samuel froze, heart racing as Blue, his son—someone he'd not heard from in both a week, and _years_ —shouted from across the field. And then, Leaf—a girl who'd quickly become one of his most reliable field technicians before branching out on her own and marrying his son—appeared as well. Followed quickly by Red—who after all this time, still wore a red vest and wide-brimmed red hat.

At least Delia was the same…No, no that wasn't quite true. She looked far happier now than ever before.

But then the four young adults caught sight of the Pokémon in their children's grasps. Delia—bless her—was the only one to keep her smile. Red, Blue, and Leaf, narrowed their eyes, frowning. Red, however, was quick to plaster a smile on his face when Delia tugged on his sleeve, whispering into his ear.

By then, Samuel and the boys had reached them. Espeon made some protesting noises, and Gary gently set him down. By contrast, Pikachu clutched closer onto Ash's shoulder, ears tapered back as he stared suspiciously at Red.

Delia spoke first. "My but aren't these just the cutest things!"

Ash smiled widely. "Yeah. They're great." He gestured to his, at this point in time, unofficial partner, "This is Pikachu." The Yellow Mouse cried out enthusiastically.

"And this is Espeon," Gary said without missing a beat. The psychic-type mewled, and moved to sit, only to trip on its own tail, landing in the dirt. Delia gasped, reaching down to check him over as Gary rushed to do the same.

"Hey, uh, Pops?" Blue said, drumming his left pointer and middle fingers against the back of his right hand (Samuel had to stop himself from crying at the sight of the childhood gesture). "How you been? No one's seen you for days; closed the lab even to the Aides."

Samuel laughed nervously, "Well a lot of things came up, son." He took a moment to congratulate himself over the fact that he didn't stumble over his words.

Leaf leaned forward, a worried frown creasing her brow. "…Professor, are you okay?" She raised her hand, tracing around his eyes, "You've got some…pretty heavy bags under your eyes."

"Oh, I'm fine my dear!" An utter lie, but they seemed to believe it. "You know a Professor's work is never done!"

"Why do the boys have Pokémon?" Leave it to Red to get to the meat of an issue.

Blue clicked his tongue, lightly smacking his friend's arm, but he also looked at Samuel expectantly. Leaf drew back, adding her suspicious stare to the mix. He took the moment to draw upon his courage and started telling what would be the first in a series of lies.

"How does a Pichu evolve into a Pikachu? Or an Eevee to an Espeon?"

"Pops—"

"Humor me, son."

Blue crossed his arms with a grunt. Leaf answered, "In the wild, they'll evolve upon reaching a certain level of strength—for Pichu, that time comes when they can properly control the electricity stored in their bodies. But when they live among humans—!" she gasped abruptly, eyes widening.

"…Ash didn't say anything about a Pichu," Red said, crossing his arms.

"Gary didn't mention any Eevee either."

"Well, as of two weeks ago the Ranch has been hosting a herd of Rapidash and Ponyta; those are rare around here, even compared to an Eevee." The three nodded lightly; everyone had been interested in that little event.

"Before he got sick, Ash couldn't stop yammering about how weird it was to stroke a Rapidash's mane." Red smiled softly, his gaze losing a bit of its hardness.

"Back on topic," Leaf weakly admonished her friend. "When did these Pokémon get to the Ranch?"

"Well, I found the Pichu chewing on some power cables." Samuel was proud of the fact that wasn't a complete lie. "And I found the Eevee stuck under a fence post." That, however, was an utter lie.

"Still doesn't explain how they could have evolved in such a short time," Blue added.

"Pokérus," Samuel quickly stated.

"Pokérus," the three repeated incredulously.

"Pokérus doesn't affect the mental faculties of Pokémon," Red stated. "It's a purely physical illness."

"Yes. But the bonds of friendship between humans and Pokémon can manifest as a form of energy in the latter. Like the moves 'Return' and 'Frustration'. Or how there have been documented cases of Pokémon in the heat of battle just shaking off Status Ailments after words of encouragement from their trainer." That last bit was a bit of an oddity; in this timeline, it's an established, if still researched, phenomenon. In the old timeline, such an action was relatively new and had yet to be officially recognized as a consistent, repeatable event. "And, as you know, the most common application of this energy is Evolution."

"…You're saying that Pokérus can accelerate the rate at which a Pokémon can bond with a human."

"Maybe," Samuel stressed. "It could just be a fluke. The Eevee line's genetic structure is chaotic, and that Pichu—rather, Pikachu—is a bit of a glutton, chewed through a lot of cables before I managed to stop it." In the distance, he could see Pikachu's ears twitch, and the little mouse turned a bit away from his bottle of ketchup to glare at him. He did his best to ignore it. "Probably would have gotten sick from electrical overload if it hadn't evolved. Or gotten sick and evolved by necessity," he added thoughtfully.

"That is the most common catalyst for evolution in Pichu—and other electric-type Pokémon—in the wild," Blue said contemplatively. "Actually, I believe Professors Rowan and Sycamore recently released a paper on the differences between—"

"Blue…" Red and Leaf said warningly.

He flinched, smiling sheepishly at his wife and best friend. "Er, sorry."

When the trio returned their attention to him, Samuel said, "I know this is…unconventional." Their stares, if at all possible, grew flatter, "But I'd like to see where this goes."

"You want to give them Pokémon," Red bluntly stated.

"Yes."

"After we agreed to wait for their tenth birthdays? Like everyone else?" Leaf asked.

"I'm not saying they need to go out on adventures right this second," Samuel stressed (even though there were children who started younger). "And who knows, they may not even keep them," (the boldest lie he'd told yet).

"But…" Blue trailed off, crossing his arms and staring at his feet.

"And just look at them," he said, pointing to where the kids and their Pokémon were. Ash, who was carefully tearing off bits of food to hand to Pikachu, and Gary, who was calmly stroking Espeon's back as the Pokémon lay in his lap. "…Can't be that bad, keeping them together for a bit, right?"

His former students' faces softened as they watched their children.

"I guess," Red began slowly, "It wouldn't be so bad."

"It might help them through…whatever they're going through at the moment," Blue concurred.

"But…what about next year?" Leaf asked, chewing her lower lip.

Samuel nodded slowly, "Let's not worry about that now my dear. Just…enjoy the moment." The three (younger) adults agreed to that, smiling warmly as they observed the children.

Samuel took a step back, admiring the scene before him. Something that he had both never experienced, and always knew. It made his heart swell. Aloud he said, "I believe I feel a haiku coming on!"

"And that's our cue," Blue said with a laugh, wrapping an arm around his wife and leading them forward.

"Wha—I'll have you know my haikus are immensely popular!"

"Of course, Professor," Red snarked ahead of him.

Samuel frowned heavily, but in his heart, he felt nothing but joy. He may not have wanted this burden—never before would he have thought he'd curse _knowledge_ —but he would carry it all the same.

 **/+/+/+/+/**

Ash sighed raggedly as he lay down in his bed. "Well, we survived." He'd caught his and Gary's parents staring intently at Pikachu and Espeon, but just as quickly they would smile and try to pet them—Espeon welcomed the praise, but Pikachu only allowed his mother to do so.

"Pika-cha," his partner affirmed, perched at the foot of their bed.

He swallowed nervously, "So…what do you think of my dad?"

Pikachu tilted his head, narrowing his eyes a touch. "…Ka-Cha," he eventually said.

"Yeah," Ash chuckled softly, "it is weird." He sat up, staring at his best friend. "Really weird."

Pikachu moved forward a bit, gently patting Ash's knee. "Chu," he said.

Idly scratching the Pokémon's ear, he said. "It's just…I have two sets of memories in my head. One where he's always been here, and one where he left our lives when I was, like, four." He dropped his head, clutching his chest. "The part of me that lived in this new world loves him. Remembers all the kind words, the way he ruffles my hair. How much he makes Mom smile and laugh. But there's the old part of me that just…doesn't. That remembers how Mom would get sad on certain days of the year." He squirmed nervously, "It's a weird feeling."

"Pika-pi," Ash returned his attention to his Starter, who was staring resolutely at him. "Pika-Pikachu. Pi-Pi-Pika. Cha!" He ended his declaration with a soft smile.

The young boy sniffled, reaching down and embracing the Pokémon. "Thanks buddy. You always know what to say." Pikachu scoffed in faux-haughtiness.

Pulling back with a sigh, Ash said, "Anyway, looks like the Professor's plan worked out." Pikachu nodded lightly, "Course, you aren't officially mine until I register you by catching you." Pikachu made a disgusted face, to which Ash responded with a laugh, "Don't worry buddy, that's not for a few more weeks, at least. Besides," his expression grew serious, "I'll make it quick. In-and-out," he snapped his fingers, "just like that."

"Ka-Cha," Pikachu sighed reluctantly.

"Besides," Ash's mind went back to a few hours ago, "we've got _slightly_ more important things to worry over."

As Pikachu grew silent, Ash recalled Mew's parting words (Celebi having nodded off once more). She'd said, " _Unfortunately, because this new universe is basically a ball of wet clay submerged in a bucket of boiling lava, Celebi can't just shove you forward in time to when Arceus shows up in Michina town. Which means you're going to have to actually wait a few years. Celebi's tasked some of her kin to try and reach Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina—who's powers would go a long way in stabilizing this mess—but I wouldn't get your hopes up_." She grimaced then, _"Also, I'm sure you're already aware of this, but I feel the need to say it anyway. Things are different from the last universe. Events will mostly be like how you remember them, but deviations, no matter how big or small, do exist. So…keep that in mind and try not to freak out too much when you meet those inevitable changes. We're going to help out where we can, but you're mostly on your own._ "

He worried about his friends—future friends, as it were. Human and Pokémon. Especially the likes of Charizard and Pignite, who had less than stellar beginnings. And then there was his latest 'catch', Poipole; stranded in an alternate dimension with little hope of going home. Of course, by this point in time, those friends (the Pokémon, at least), probably hadn't been born yet. But that didn't change the ache he felt in his heart.

"Mist-Mime?" Mimey suddenly said, knocking on the door to Ash's room. Ash was confused as to why the mime Pokémon was stopping by so late, but when Pikachu sighed, his ears dipping down, Ash remembered the rule his parents had put in place. He'd immediately wanted to protest, and actually tried to, but reasoned it'd be better to play along for the time-being.

"Don't worry buddy," he said, leaning over and hugging the electric mouse, "It's only for a little while."

"Ka-chu," Pikachu mumbled wearily. He nuzzled Ash's shoulder for a bit, before hopping off the bed and making his way to the door. Mimey opened it, bidding Ash goodnight as he led Pikachu down to his _very_ temporary quarters. Leaving Ash to slowly fall asleep, a much lighter one than the ones before.

 **/+/+/+/+/**

 **A/N: The genders of Pokémon is weird, so I'm just going to go ahead and assign genders at random (or with context clues, where they apply). Also, I started this story around when Poipole was introduced in the Anime, so I'm 'ignoring' everything after that (good on Ash for finally winning a League, though). Also, also, this story's back…Probably…Be sure to leave a review. Later.**

 **P.S: Just noticed that I accidently changed Leaf's name to Green…Whoopsie-Doodle.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Learning Curve

 **Pokémon, and all related media, is the property of Nintendo**

"Talking"

" _Mental Speech"_

" **DEITY (OLYMPUS MON) SPEECH"**

 **/+/+/+/+/**

Red woke up to the gentle sound of his wife's snores. Not that Delia ever acknowledged that she snored; the one time he tried to prove it to her, she 'accidentally' deleted the sound file.

He shook his head, smiling at the memory. He decided to let her sleep in a bit (giving her a quick peck on the cheek and pulling the blanket up further along her body). And it was after freshening up and going down to wake Ash up that he remembered the odd addition to their household from yesterday.

There, just across from him, standing in front of Ash's door, were Mimey, and the Pikachu.

Now, Red was by no means an expert of Pokémon behavior—at least, Pokémon he hadn't trained for a good amount of time. But he got the distinct feeling that Pikachu wasn't…fond of him.

The mouse positively adored Ash, coinciding with the Professors' predictions. And it—he, Red reminded himself—also quickly warmed up to Delia and even Mimey. But not him.

No, yesterday, when the little electric type wasn't downing ketchup bottles like they were going out of style, he was staring at him. Judging him, almost. Red didn't bring it up with anyone—he didn't want to put a damper on Ash's good mood—but he did his best to keep an eye on the Pikachu. The Espeon as well. And it didn't glare at Blue or Leaf; it would stare at them whenever either entered its field of vision but would quickly return its attention to Gary. It was still weird, seeing a fully-evolved Pokémon being so cozy with a child it, by all means, barely knew, but still, it at least treated Gary's parents civilly.

Needless to say, he was confused. A confusion he managed to stamp down as he cocked a brow at the Pokémon before him. "And what are you doing here?" he asked.

The electric type's ears twitched slightly as his eyes narrowed. "Pika…" he deadpanned, patting Ash's door.

"Ter-mime," Mimey said, bowing his head and heading for the stairs. Leaving Red and Pikachu alone. The Pokémon then tapped the door, "Chu-ka," he said, gesturing to the doorknob.

Red grunted, moving forward and opening the door.

Pikachu nodded, "Chu," and bound inside. He quickly jumped onto the bed, gently nudging Ash's shoulders, "Pika-pi," he called. Ash groaned, pulling his blanket closer and turning around. The Pokémon huffed, and once more pushed Ash's shoulder. And once more, Ash ignored him.

Pikachu huffed, sitting back with a soft growl.

"Yeah, he does that," Red said with a chuckle. Pikachu jerked back, turning around and staring at Red, as if he'd forgotten he was there. Red ignored the reaction, sitting down at the foot of Ash's bed and pulling the covers back, "C'mon kiddo, time to get up."

"Guh…Dad," Ash whined.

"Ka-cha," Pikachu mumbled.

"Wha—Pikachu?" Ash mumbled, furrowing his brow. Then, he shot up, eyes shooting open with a wide smile on his face, "Oh yeah, Pikachu!"

"Ka-Cha!" the yellow mouse cried, jumping onto Ash's lap.

"Well," Red chuckled, "at least we can quickly wake you up now." Ash blushed, bending his head down and petting Pikachu, who preened at the attention.

"C'mon," Red said, ruffling his hair, "your mother's still in bed, so I'll get started on breakfast."

"We'll be down in a bit, Dad," Ash said, pushing Pikachu off his lap and getting off the bed.

Red nodded, closing the door as he left.

He decided to make pancakes; for him, Delia, and Ash, at least. He called over Mimey as he whisked the batter. "Do you have any idea what Pikachu might want to eat?" he asked the psychic-type.

Mimey hummed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He snapped his fingers, "Mister!" and walked over to the fridge, grabbing some fruit.

"Ah," Red nodded, "same as you. Convenient." Mimey shrugged, grabbing a bowl for Pikachu.

Ash and Pikachu entered the kitchen soon after. "Hmm," Ash said sleepily, sniffing the air, "smells good."

"When don't they?" Red said, putting some pancakes on a plate for Ash, who grabbed it readily. He then gestured to the small bowl on the…table. He furrowed his brow, turning to Mimey,

The Pokémon tilted his head questioningly, "Mime?" Red gestured to the bowl, which Ash was already helping Pikachu get up to. Mimey's eyes widened, "Mi-Mister Mime!" he said apologetically, frantically waving his hands.

Red just sighed, "It's fine." And really, it was. Not like Pikachu took up much space (and for a Wild Pokémon, he was a surprisingly clean eater). But a heads-up would have been nice.

"Uh, Dad?" Red turned his attention to his son, who was staring at him quizzically, "Something wrong?"

"No," Red said, looking away, "Want anything else with your pancakes? Syrup, chocolate?" Ash's stomach grumbled at the second choice. He chuckled lightly upon seeing his son's face flush, "Chocolate it is."

Red finished making the pancakes, grabbing the syrup for himself and sitting down across from Ash and Pikachu. They ate in comfortable silence (save for Mimey, who didn't eat breakfast). Until Delia finally made an appearance.

"Heh Mahm!" Ash said, face stuffed with chocolate drowned pancakes.

Delia smiled, "I can't hear you through all those pancakes, Ash."

Their son blushed once more, audibly swallowing his food. "Er…hi, Mom," he said, subdued. Pikachu stopped eating for a moment to snicker at Ash. The young boy sent the Pokémon a look of betrayal, before laughing it off and returning to his meal.

If Delia found anything odd with the seating arrangement, she kept it to herself. Humming some wordless tune, she helped herself the pancakes, dolloping a hefty helping of both chocolate and syrup onto hers.

"So," Delia said in-between bites, "are you still going to the Ranch today, Red?"

He nodded, having finally decided to last night. "Yeah," he said aloud, "I've put it off for too long."

"Pika-pika?" Pikachu queried.

"Can we come too?" Ash asked excitedly.

Red smirked, reaching over and ruffling his son's hair (further enhancing its unruliness). "I was planning on it."

"Well, I'll be at the restaurant," Delia said. "Been away from it for too long as well." She blinked, smiling sheepishly, "And I really need to get your mother a gift for running it these past few days."

"She likes those styling magazines from Kalos," Red off-handedly mentioned.

"Thank you," she said, kissing him on the cheek as she took her dirty dishes to the sink (unfortunately, her mouth was still stained with chocolate and syrup, and Red's scrubbing it away elicited more laughter from Ash and Pikachu).

 **/+/+/+/+/**

"Pika-cha…" Pikachu said despondently, perched on Ash's shoulder, as they neared the Ranch.

"I know buddy, I know," Ash said, reaching up to comfortingly rub Pikachu's head. Were they back in their original timeline, at least one of their Flying-type friends (usually Swellow) would have let out a shrill cry and divebombed them. Or the Tauros herd would have already broken down the fences in their mad dash to greet them. But now, there was nothing.

"Well, well! Great minds think alike, it seems!" Ash turned at Blue's voice, waving at the sight of the Oak boys and Espeon.

"Hay Gary!" Ash called out.

"Yo!" Gary replied, breaking out into a sprint to reach them (at least until Espeon tripped over his own tail, after which Gary and his partner maintained a brisk walk).

Pikachu hopped down, happily greeting the Psychic-type. While they did so, Gary leaned in closer, pulling Ash away from their fathers a bit. "How you been?" he asked quietly.

"I'm ok. Spent the night without Pikachu, but other than that things have been swell." Ash then sidled a glance to his best friend, "But, uh, I might have a problem."

"Oh?"

Ash leaned closer still, "I don't think Pikachu and Dad like each other."

"What makes you say that?"

Ash quickly relayed the weird glances and odd behavior the two had displayed both yesterday and the following morning. "I don't know what I'm going to do," he said helplessly. If there was one thing he strived for, it was for his family—the variety of species notwithstanding—to get along with each other. The idea that his best friend and his dad didn't tore at him in more ways than one.

"Ah!" Gary pulled away with a grunt, "You're worrying too much."

"You think?"

Before Gary could respond, his father called out; "C'mon ya Slowpokes! Get your butts into gear!"

"Keep your pants on!" Gary shouted back, but they, and their Pokémon, did walk over to their dads.

They officially entered the Ranch, and quickly found Professor Oak, who was feeding a gaggle of Grass-type Pokémon. "Hello boys!" he said upon seeing them. Unfortunately, a nearby Weepinbell didn't appreciate the change in focus. and jumped up and chomped on his arm. "Gah! Get off!" he cried, frantically waving his arm as the Grass-type happily hung on.

Blue snickered as he ran up to the professor. "You think after all this time you'd learn!" he said upon reaching his father. He reached under the Weepinbell's leaves, tickling the Pokémon's 'armpit'. It released soon after, laughing too hard to hold on.

"Ah," Professor Oak sighed, reaching out to hug blue, "Thank you, Son."

But Blue stepped back, leering at the drool-covered arm, "Eh, don't mention it, Pops." Professor Oak then noticed his arm, and smiled sheepishly, pulling it back.

Ash and the others reached the pair by then. "You need some help?" Red asked, eyeing the Pokémon still waiting for their snack.

"Oh, no need!" The Professor said, "Besides, you all came for something a bit more personal; I imagine." He gestured further into the Ranch, "Blastoise is over by the eastern lake, Blue. Red, Charizard should be flying around somewhere."

"Pika-ka?" Pikachu exclaimed.

"Yup," Ash replied, "Dad's got a Charizard," (he managed to cut himself off before saying 'too'). "His Starter." Ash saw some sort of emotion flash over his father's face, but let it pass as Blue, Gary, and Espeon said goodbye, heading for the lake.

Red led them a bit further into the field, scanning the sky. Ash and Pikachu—who once more perched upon his shoulders for a better view—looked up as well, scanning looking for a familiar (if not truly so) silhouette.

Then, a flash of orange flitted between the clouds.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Ash saw his father smirk. The man then brought his right hand to his lips, and let loose a loud, shrill whistle.

A loud, monstrous roar sounded off in reply.

"Ka-chu," Pikachu sighed forlornly. Ash nodded minutely, reaching up to comfortingly scratch his partner's ear.

Another roar, just as loud, but much happier sounding, came as a large Charizard swooped down over them. Red laughed as the flame Pokémon did loops and corkscrews in the air. When the Pokémon finally landed, it—he, Ash remembered—reared his head back, a large gout of fire spewing forth from his maw. (Ash felt a lump form in his throat, and tears form in his eyes, but managed to swallow it down and wipe them away before his dad could notice).

"Good to see you too," his dad shouted over the flames, stepped forward and patting his partner's belly. Charizard stopped breathing fire, bending his head down and smiling at Red. Then, the fire-type noticed Ash, grunting enthusiastically as he lowered his head further. Only to frown inquisitively upon seeing Pikachu.

As, falling back on the memories of the current timeline, reached up and pet Charizard's snout, "Hey Charizard. This is Pikachu."

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu chirped excitedly.

"Grough," Charizard grunted in greeting. He then dipped his head lower, sniffing Ash.

Ash giggled as Charizard's hot breath tickled his body, "Don't worry, I'm all better."

"He is," Red said, bringing their attention to him. "And I'm sorry I haven't seen you in a few days." Charizard huffed, waving his claw lazily in the air. "Now, any idea where the others are?"

The two went into a deeper discussion after that. Pikachu was able to keep up, Ash could tell, but he was having a bit of trouble understanding Charizard. He could understand his own Charizard just fine, and all Pokémon of the same species had similar speech patterns and gestures, but every now and then he'd get a jarring case of déjà vu, distracting him.

"…Really? Her and Arcanine?" His father's incredulous voice brought Ash's attention back to the present. "How long?"

"Grah," Charizard sighed, holding up six claws.

"…Wow, I guess I just never noticed." Charizard gave him a flat look, "Anyway, uh, guess I'll let them come to us." Charizard huffed, smoke filtering out from his nostrils.

"Do-Dodrio!" Ash turned at the triple bird Pokemon's call, waving happily as he sped towards them.

"Hey, Dodrio!" Ash said as the three-headed bird slid to a stop before them.

"Do!" the middle-head cawed, bending down and smiling at Ash. "Dri!" the left head cried, looking up at Red. "O?" the right head crooned, staring at Pikachu. The other two heads then turned their attention to him, leaning closer, snapping at each other when one head got too close to the other.

This had the unfortunate consequence of whipping their head-feathers in Ash's and Pikachu's faces. By the fifth slap, Ash heard Pikachu let out a familiar growl.

He felt Pikachu's claws tense on his shoulder, "Pi-Ka—" his partner leapt up into the air, electricity sparking across his red cheeks, "CHU!" he cried, releasing…a spark of electricity a few inches in front of him. "Pika?"

Pikachu fell to the ground in disbelief. "Pika-pika?" H squared his shoulders, "Pi-Ka-CHU!" he cried again, and again, only a pittance of electricity. "CHU!" Once more, barely anything. He took a deep breath, screwing his eyes shut, "CHUUUUU!" Yet, was once more met with failure.

In the end, Pikachu was left panting, falling on his back and uttering a miserable, "Pi-kaaa…"

Ash winced; just what they needed, a repeat of one of their most trying times.

"Well," Ash looked up to see has dad rubbing his chin as he stared intently at Pikachu, "He's got the instincts, but the circumstances behind his evolution might mean that he doesn't yet have the right amount of electricity to effectively act on those instincts."

Ash had a similar theory. Only instead of acting on instinct, he believed Pikachu was relying on his memories; an admittedly meaningless distinction, but a correct distinction, nonetheless.

"Ririririri," Dodrio snickered, all three heads in unison for the moment. Only to stop as Charizard shot out a small flame at their rear, lighting their tail-feathers on fire. The three heads froze, taking a moment to glare at Charizard, before dashing towards a water source.

Ash giggled, smiling up at the Fire-type, "Thanks, Charizard."

"Pika-ka-cha," Pikachu groused, crossing his arms. Ash gently nudged him, prompting an eyeroll. "Pika-cha," Pikachu said, a touch more grateful.

Red chuckled, ruffling Ash's hair, "C'mon, let's head down to the bay; Lapras, at least, should be down there."

 **/+/+/+/+/**

Like Red had predicted, his Lapras was indeed at the bay; a few Corsola and Shellder resting on her shell. Upon seeing them, she let loose a joyous cry, startling the Pokémon off of her as she rushed for the shore. His Dewgong and Tentacruel soon rose up from the depths, swimming forward to meet them as well.

"Hey girls!" Red shouted, pulling off his shoes as he waded into the water. Dewgong barked happily, and Tentacruel burbled; she also raised multiple of her tentacles, wrapping him up in a hug.

"Hey everyone!" Ash said. He laughed when Dewgong flipped in the air in lieu of a greeting, and yelped when Tentacruel, barely sparing him a glance, wrapped him up in a slimy hug as well—Pikachu was quick enough to avoid the wriggling appendages.

"Ok, Tentacruel, Tentacruel, you gotta let go now!" Red said with a chuckle. When Tentacruel's grip grew firmer, so did his voice, "Tentacruel, seriously, enough."

Ash had a sinking feeling that the jellyfish was set to ignore his dad's please, but then Dewgong barked admonishingly, and the tentacles reluctantly slinked away.

"Thanks, Dewgong," his dad said, shaking some slime off his arms. Ash did the same, frowning at Pikachu when the yellow mouse snickered at them (and then snickering in turn when he splattered some slime on Pikachu's fur, sending him into a fit).

 **/+/+/+/+/**

"Furrrrrrret," Furret purred as Ash scratched him behind his ears.

"Doom-Houndoom!" Houndoom whined, poking him with her snout. Ash would have pet her, had the Rattata sitting on his lap not hissed and held onto his hand when he moved it.

"Ka-cha," Pikachu scoffed, staring at the scene before him.

"Jealous?" Red ribbed the yellow mouse. He huffed, sharply turning his head away. Taking pity on the small Pokémon, Red took a chance, and reached down, petting the top of his head.

Pikachu hummed contentedly, before stilling jerking out of his grip and staring up at Red questioningly. He just held his hands up defensively, "Alright, alright. Forget I tried."

"Ka-pika," Pikachu said, rolling his eyes.

 **/+/+/+/+/**

Ash was left breathless as the latest group of his dad's Pokémon—a Rhyperior, Machamp, and Fearow—left to do…whatever Pokémon did when they were at the Ranch. It was just so…much. He had memories of such visits, but to actually experience them—the slobbery licks, the overly-affectionate embraces—was another thing entirely.

"Pika-pika," Pikachu sighed tiredly, leaning against Ash's leg.

"Yeah," he whispered, "a bit different on the other side of the fence, huh?" Pikachu nodded wearily. "But hey, it isn't all bad. After all, at least half of them helped my Dad win the Indigo League."

"Pi—Pika-Pika!" Pikachu suddenly shouted, shooting onto all fours.

"Yeah. Dad…was…the Indigo League…Champion…" Ash trailed off, blood draining from his face as the ancient memory reasserted itself. "…Dad was Champion of the Kanto region." He whispered. He then remembered more and had to clamp his hands over his mouth to keep from screaming. " _Gary's_ dad was Champion of the Kanto Region!"

"Ka-chu?" Pikachu exclaimed, jaw dropping.

"Red, how's it hanging?" Ash turned to see the Oak family—and his mother—walking towards them, Blue leading the charge.

"Not bad." He smirked, gesturing to Blue's torn shirt and pants, "Better than you, though."

Blue huffed, "Pinser's as grabby as ever."

"You think he'd learn," Leaf said with a chuckle.

"Maybe his age is finally getting to him," Gary wryly stated, prompting his mom to laugh louder.

"Oh, quiet you two!"

As the three Oaks did…their thing, Ash's mom had finished walking over to them. She gave his dad a quick peck on the lips (a still weird sight for Ash), before turning to him. "You three have fun?"

"Yeah," Ash answered truthfully, in tandem with Pikachu's short cry; 'Pi', momentarily forgetting his startling recollection (his mom had that effect on people). "How's the restaurant?"

"Well, your grandmother didn't burn it down," she said, grinning at Red.

His dad groaned, running both hands down his face, "It was _one_ time!" He exclaimed, "And the building was still standing!"

"Barely. How is Magmar, anyway?" Her mischievousness giving way to genuine curiosity.

"She's fine. I think she wants to evolve, though."

"She wants to leave?" Mom asked.

"No, she's made that very clear." Dad waved his hand in the air, "I'll ask Leaf for a quick trade; her Kadabra's about ready to evolve, and she and Leaf have gotten very attached to each other, so I know she'll want to go back."

Ash and Pikachu quietly slinked away from the pair, inching closer to the Oak's. Gary and Leaf had finished ribbing Blue, and the two adults were talking with the Professor. Ash tugged on Gary's sleeve, pulling him and Espeon away.

"What's wrong?" Gary asked seriously, once they were far enough away and he had enough time to see the stricken look on Ash's face.

"Gary…our dads were _Champions of the Indigo Plateau_ ," he said slowly.

Gary blinked, "…Oh yeah, that is a thing."

Ash waited for a greater response, but when Gary just folded his arms, he shouted, "That's it?! 'Oh yeah', that's all you have to say? Our dads became Champions of the Kanto when they were twelve, and all you have to say is 'oh yeah'?!"

"I mean, your dad took the title from mine, so I don't really know how that works," Gary said thoughtfully. "And wouldn't that also make them the Champions of the Johto region too?"

"How can you be so calm?!"

Gary shrugged, "I'm used to it." Before Ash could start to argue technicalities, he added, "Gramps was Champion of Kanto too. One of the first, actually."

"Wait, really?" Ash's incredulity faded away in favor of curiosity.

"…I'd say I'm surprised, but honestly…"

"Hey!" Ash shouted.

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu cried, coming to his defense.

"Esp-on." Ash didn't catch what that meant, but given the way Pikachu growled, it probably wasn't a compliment.

"What's going on over there?" Leaf asked from across the way.

Ash glared at Gary, only to pause, a smile forming on his face, an idea slowly taking root in his mind. Gary started to sport a similar smirk, and Ash knew he was thinking the same thing.

"Gary Oak!" he shouted with all the bombast his child-like voice could muster, "I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, leaping up Ash's body and settling on his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, Ash could see a determined expression on his partner's face.

Gary hummed, looking down at Espeon. The sun Pokémon feigned indifference, but Ash could see the gleam in his eyes. Finally, Gary pointed dramatically at Ash, "Ash Ketchum, I accept your challenge!"

"Well, gonna be kind of hard to do that when you don't have any Pokémon of your own, isn't it?" Blue asked smartly.

Both Ash and Gary faltered (as did their Pokémon) upon the reminder that, no, neither Pikachu nor Espeon were actually theirs.

Just then, Leaf stepped in front of them, two Poké balls, white with red highlights instead of the usual red with white highlights, in her hands. "Consider them early birthday presents," she said with a wink.

Ash stared at the offered item. "I thought we weren't supposed to do this for a week, at least."

His 'aunt' shrugged, "We changed our minds."

"In a day?"

"Sure."

"But—"

"Don't look a gift Rapidash in the mouth, Ash. Thanks Ma," Gary said, eagerly grabbing the ball. Ash was a bit more subdued, taking the ball with a silent nod. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gary kneel down, showing Espeon his new 'home'.

When Ash did the same to Pikachu, the yellow mouse reared back with a disgusted face.

"Guess he isn't sold on the idea," Ash heard Leaf mutter.

"You know, you don't have to spend any time in this if you don't want to," Pikachu rolled his eyes, but then, Ash wasn't really saying it for his benefit.

Pikachu huffed, stepping closer to Ash. He eyed the ball, grimacing, but nonetheless held his paw out, pushing the button, popping the item open and vanishing into it in red light.

The ball shook violently; so much so that Ash was briefly worried that Pikachu's fear had won out over his rationality. But then, Ash heard the ever-pleasing _PING_ , and the ball stilled, signifying a successful capture.

Quick as a flash, Ash let Pikachu out, pocketing the now (and forever) empty ball, as his friend shivered, letting out small sparks from his cheeks. "Pika-ka-cha," he said with a shiver.

"You okay?" he asked.

Pikachu sniffed, shaking his head and patting his cheeks. "Chu!" he squeaked, staring at Ash determinedly.

Ash smirked, rising and turning to face an equally eager Gary. "Now, where were we?"

 **/+/+/+/+/**

 **A/N: Next up, the fic's first Pokemon battle! Hope I don't muck it up. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Welcome to the Party!

 **Pokémon, and all related media, is the property of Nintendo**

"Talking"

" _Mental Speech"_

" **DEITY (OLYMPUS MON) SPEECH"**

 **/+/+/+/+/**

"You know, I've never seen a Pokémon so averse to being inside a Poké ball," Delia said, eyeing Pikachu as Ash scanned him with Red's Pokédex (Gary doing the same on the other side of the field with Blue).

"Neither have I," Leaf said thoughtfully.

"It happens," Samuel shrugged. "Pokémon have quirks and fears just like we Humans. And it's not like they're unaware of their surroundings while inside Poké balls."

"But aren't Poké balls supposed to simulate an ideal environment for the Pokémon within them?" Delia asked.

Another shrug, "They should, yes."

"Maybe he's claustrophobic," Leaf mused aloud. Delia considered that, trying to think if (in their very brief time together) Pikachu displayed an aversion to confined spaces. She couldn't but decided to keep an eye out for such signs in the future. If such trauma did exist, then the only option would be to help him through it.

"I take it you two are ready?" Samuel asked, bringing Delia back to the present. She turned her attention to Ash and Gary, who were nodding as Red and Blue walked away from them (the smirk on Gary's face made Delia uneasy, and worried for Ash).

"Very well then." Samuel stepped forward, clearing his throat, "Introducing," he shouted bombastically, gesticulating grandly, "the challengers, Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak, both from Pallet Town! The battle shall be conducted with one, and only one, Pokémon, with the winner being the Trainer whose Pokémon is still standing." He paused, for the drama, if nothing else.

Delia smiled at Ash, who, to her surprise, wasn't looking back at them, but instead giving his entire focus on Gary, who reciprocated the attention. Her darling boy squared his shoulders, reaching his hand up and…fixing his hair; strange, she didn't think it was in the way.

"And…Ah, wait!" Samuel cried out, dispelling the serious mood (causing Ash, Gary, Pikachu, and Espeon to stare blankly at him).

"I've got something for you," he said, reaching into his pockets, "Pikachu and Espeon, specifically." He then pulled two…black pendants out and beckoned the boys and their Pokémon over.

"And what would those be?" Red asked.

"Some machines I made last night that will monitor the energy levels within Pikachu and Espeon so long as they wear them."

"Ah, to test your theory!" Blue snapped his fingers.

"Correct. Don't worry," he said to Ash when he looked questioningly at the item, "it's durable. And no, Gary, yours doesn't open," he said, halting his grandsons fiddling. The two boys then shrugged, looking down at their Pokémon, who shrugged as well.

"Thanks, Professor," Ash said, bending down to place the monitor around Pikachu's neck. Gary silently did the same. Both Pokémon nudged the devices once fitted properly onto them, nodding to their Trainers when satisfied.

"Okay." Samuel, the boys, and the Pokémon moved back to their original positions. Samuel then raised his arms high in the air, "Now, without further ado…BEGIN!" he shouted, swinging his arms down.

"Espeon, let's go!"

"Espeon!" Espeon growled, leaping in front of Gary.

"Pikachu, I chose you!"

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu cried, bounding forward to meet his opponent.

"Espeon, hit him with Confusion!" Espeon barked in reply, eyes glowing blue.

"Pikachu, counter with Thundershock!"

"Pi-ka-chu!" Pikachu shouted, electricity arcing from his body towards Espeon, hitting him before he could finish his attack.

"That's a fast attack," Delia heard Leaf mutter to her side.

"He is an electric-type," Red noted calmly.

"Dammit!" Gary barked.

"Watch your language young man!" Leaf shouted at her son. Delia, Blue, and Red couldn't help but laugh, only stopping when Leaf turned to glare at them.

"Okay then…Espeon, hit him with a Sand Attack!"

Espeon shook of the last bits of the previous attack, barking out a reply and whirling around, whipping up dirt with his tail.

Pikachu squeaked alarmedly, and tried to back away, but was too late, and ended up engulfed in sand.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted; his voice thick with concern. The yellow mouse coughed, frantically rubbing his eyes.

"Now, hit him with Confusion!" Espeon, now unimpeded, was able to complete his attack, knocking Pikachu back with a psychic blast.

Delia winced as Pikachu flew in the air, crying shrilly.

Red whistled lowly, "Flew back pretty far."

"Think this has to do with the Friendship stuff you were talking about, Pops?" Blue asked. When his father shrugged noncommittally—keeping his eyes on the battle before them—Blue then said, "Well, we can find out whenever you get enough of those readings." Another short, noncommittal grunt.

"Pikachu!" Delia homed in on her son's voice, "Get in close and Tackle him!"

"Pika!" Pikachu replied, darting towards Espeon.

"Confusion, again!" Gary commanded. Espeon replied an affirmative, his eyes glowing with power once more.

Delia saw Ash lean in closer, peering at the battlefield. Then, he snapped his fingers, "Dodge left!" he shouted. Pikachu didn't verbally reply but did as instructed. Delia furrowed her brow as…something happened in the space where Pikachu was.

Gary growled, "Try again!"

"Right!" Ash shouted second later. Again, at the space where Pikachu was, a…ripple in the air.

"Now _that's_ impressive," Blue sincerely stated.

"What is?" Delia asked.

Her husband leaned closer to her. "Psychic type attacks, especially ones done by young and untrained Pokémon, cause ripples in the air." Delia looked closer now, and as Red said, there was an effect similar to a heatwave hovering in the space that Pikachu would have been in had he not hopped backwards and to the left. "Novices tend not to notice them."

Delia smiled warmly (a smile which grew wider when Pikachu successfully hit Espeon), "Well, I'd say he's had a good role model."

Red coughed, tilting his head up to try and hide the blush marring his face.

"Alright, time to step it up," Gary said. "Espeon, use Dig!"

"What?!" Ash shouted at the psychic-type burrowed underground.

"What?" Red asked flatly, staring at Blue.

The man just shrugged, "Father must have been a ground-type."

"That's…lucky."

Before anyone could say anything else, a harsh "Pika!" echoed across the field.

"Pikachu!" Delia's heart clenched, and she whirled around to see Ash barely restraining himself from running over to his downed Pokémon. "Are you alright?"

The yellow mouse moaned, and a quick look to her left showed that Samuel was ready to call the match, but then, miraculously, Pikachu rose to all fours, shaking from head to tail. He turned around, nodding slowly, resolutely at Ash.

Ash smiled in turn, returning his attention to Gary and Espeon, who had returned underground.

"Surprised he's still able to stand after all that," Leaf said.

Red grunted, "Dig might be super effective, but it's not like Espeon are physical powerhouses." He nodded at Pikachu, who was currently running in random patterns at Ash's direction, "Still, one more hit and it looks like he's out."

"…Pikachu, jump!" Pikachu didn't verbally reply, but leapt into the air regardless, barely avoiding Espeon as the psychic-type burst out from the ground. "Thundershock!" Pikachu growled a reply, firing a yellow arc of lightning, but missed as the sun Pokémon dug underground once more.

Ash grit his teeth, narrowing his eyes. Then, he swept his arm to his right, "Pikachu, head for the trees!"

"Clever," Samuel said approvingly, "but will he make it?"

It didn't look like it; even with Ash's direction, Espeon was getting closer and closer to landing the final blow (Delia assumed it to be in part due to his psychic typing).

But then, just when all hope for her son seemed lost, a miracle occurred.

A white glow started to spark to life around Pikachu. Just flashes at first, until soon his entire body was covered in it. Then, Pikachu rocketed forward, leaving only a white streak of light in his wake.

"Alright!" Ash shouted triumphantly, "Quick Attack!"

"And I thought we were done with the surprises!" Blue said with a laugh.

"…He's…not stopping," Red noted slowly.

Delia frowned, but quickly heard Pikachu's panicked cry of "Pika-pika-pika-pikachuuuuuu!" as he vanished beyond the tree line. Followed shortly by a loud, dull _THUD_ , and a flock of bird Pokémon—Pidgey, she realized, relieved that they weren't Spearow—flew away in a panic.

The only sound they heard were the irate, fading cries of the flock. Until, finally, Ash sprinted for the trees, shouting, "Gah! Pikachu, hold on!"

Delia stared after him for a moment, before yelping, chasing after him, "Ash, don't just run into the woods!" He ignored her in favor of finding his Pokémon. She would have continued running, had a loud, shrill whistle not stopped her. She turned around to see her husband mount his Dodrio, stopping only to pick her up.

They found Ash and Pikachu in front of a large tree, the former kneeling down and cradling the latter.

Delia leapt off Dodrio, "Are you alright?"

"I…don't know," Ash said hesitantly. Delia quickly bent down, looking him over, only for him to push her off, "I'm okay, I'm okay!" he insisted. "I'm talking about Pikachu." The yellow mouse squeaked in his arms, prompting Ash to ask, "How you feeling, buddy?"

"Pi-Ka," Pikachu squeaked, jumping out of Ash's arms. He crossed his arms defiantly, "Pika-Ka-Pika!" The electric type took a step forward, only to falter, waving his arms and tail frantically in order to right himself. Ash picked him up before he could fall.

"Should probably get you checked out," he said, grinning when Pikachu scoffed, turning to face away from him.

Delia smiled, relieved, while her husband just sighed. He chuckled, though, saying, "Heck of a way to cap off your first battle."

Pikachu frowned at that, letting out a quiet 'Cha' as his ears drooped down slightly. "Aw, don't worry Pikachu," Ash said, patting the Pokémon's head, "We'll get him next time." The yellow mouse smiled lightly but stayed silent.

As Red helped Ash, Pikachu, and Delia onto Dodrio (he deciding to walk alongside them), Delia noticed something—rather, a lack of something. "Ash," she asked, "what happened to the professor's monitoring device?"

Ash and Pikachu both blushed guiltily. Ash then reached into his back pocket, pulling out bits and pieces of machinery. "…It wasn't as durable as he thought," was all he said.

 **/+/+/+/+/**

Ash was glad that Professor Oak wasn't mad that it hadn't even been an hour and he and Pikachu had already broken the locket (annoyed, perhaps, but not angry). He was also thankful that he and Pikachu had managed to hide away the jewel held within it before anyone could be affected by it—apparently, jean pockets and Pikachu claws were as powerful shields as complex machinery.

He did say to stop by later in the week for a more durable monitor (pulling them aside and saying that he'd come up with another way for them to carry the jewel inconspicuously).

Pikachu was more annoyed that they'd lost the battle than anything else—Ash counted it as a loss as well, despite Gary's assurances that it was a tie, but he didn't take it nearly as hard as his best friend. He'd been sulking ever since they got out of the woods, his sour mood deepening upon being told by Professor Oak to take it easy for a couple days.

But there was one silver lining to come out of the injury.

"You're sure you don't want to use the pull-out downstairs?" Mom asked for what must have been the fifth time since dinner.

Ash resisted to urge to roll his eyes. "We'll be fine, Mom." Dad huffed, and Ash groaned, "Don't you start too."

His dad held his hands up defensively, smiling lightly, "Fine, fine. Just don't be afraid to wake us up if anything happens, alright?" He punctuated his statement by staring hard at both him and Pikachu.

"You got it." He stepped over to them, hugging and kissing his parents (something he found was getting easier and less awkward to do with his dad), "Night!"

They hugged and kissed him in turn. "Good night Ash, Pikachu," his mom said for the both of them, closing the door behind them as they left.

The Trainer (fledgling he may be in this timeline) and Pokémon quickly climbed onto bed. "So…you relearned Quick Attack," Ash said after a moment of silence. Pikachu nodded, giving a nonverbal grunt. "That's good. Better than Tackle, a lot more utility." A wide grin split across his face, "Who knows, maybe you'll learn Thunderbolt again soon!"

"Ka-chuuu…" came his friend's quiet snore.

Ash blinked, surprised that Pikachu was asleep so fast. But then his partner squirmed in place, inching closer to his larger body, and Ash realized that, for the first time since showing up as a Pichu in Professor Oak's lab, things resembled their previous universe; no wonder he was so relaxed (briefly, with a pang of guilt, Ash wondered if Pikachu actually slept soundly the previous night.) Thus, he followed his friend's example, and drifted into a peaceful sleep.

 **/+/+/+/+/**

Mimey found that familiarizing (or refamiliarizing) himself with the habits of his family in this bizarre new world wasn't as hard as he'd once fretted. Sure, every now and then he'd be startled by the sight of Red lounging in the living room (along with the knowledge that Red was _his_ Trainer, not Delia). But he was happy.

He was happy, because Delia was happy.

(Certainly, she was happy in the previous timeline, but her husband's presence was obviously another source of joy and contentment for the young—well, young-ish—woman).

He couldn't help but wonder what had changed, to have Red stay in her and Ash's lives this time around. Mew and Celebi mentioned that Arceus, after a slight miscalculation that almost killed Ash, mashed together bits and pieces of alternate universes until something stuck. Ergo, some mashed bit of another universe must have had an influence on Red's being.

He pondered the conundrum for a bit longer, before shrugging it off; the man was here now, so what did it matter?

It was with this thought in mind that he opened the door to his room—an unneeded gift, since unlike Pikachu, he was not at all averse to spending his downtime inside a Poké ball. But the Ketchum's, unlikely to use the room for anything else, gave it to him regardless.

He walked over to the window—in preparation for creating a series of psychic barriers that used the sun as an alarm clock. But when he opened it, he paused at the sight before him. He then stepped back, rubbed his eyes, and looked out the window again.

"…Well, that's not something you see every day," he mumbled to no one.

 **/+/+/+/+/**

Pikachu was in the middle of a very pleasant dream; he was back in Alola, lying in a hammock, gently swaying in the sea breeze, a nice cool glass of mixed berry juice in his paws (not, as many would believe, a bottle of ketchup. Just because he had a healthy appreciation for the condiment didn't mean he was insane).

It was such a pleasant dream, that when someone lightly rapped on the bedroom door, waking him from his slumber, he was displeased. Very displeased.

"Pikachu," the yellow mouse frowned, recognizing Mimey's voice, muffled and whispered as it was, "Wake up!"

Pikachu groaned lightly, reluctantly moving from Ash's side to the edge of the bed. "Mimey, I love you like a brother, but I have shocked people to a crisp for much, much less."

Unfortunately, Mimey took that as an invitation. But before Pikachu could perform any sort of cathartic action, he took note of the panicked expression on the mime Pokémon's face. Pikachu's tail, and ears, previously drooping in laziness, sprung upright. The mime mimed to the window, and what Pikachu saw made his jaw drop. There, just outside the window on the tree outside Ash's room, were dozens of Pidgey and Pidgeotto, staring at him—and Ash—through the window.

"…At least they aren't Spearow," he said breathily. Gulping down his anxiety, he hopped off the bed, jumping onto the windowsill and opening the window. "Just so you know," he said as the cool night air made his fur stand on end, "I _am_ an electric-type, and I _will_ shock you if I have to."

One of the Pidgeotto hopped forward on his—her—chosen branch. She ignored his boast, asking, "Are you the owner of the red jewel?"

Pikachu sighed, dropping his head in his paws, "Oh man, I thought I was quick enough."

"You were not," she said coldly, "And now a good third of this flock is speaking madness."

"It is not madness!" a male Pidgey said from within the crowd.

"What else can it be?!" A male Pidgeotto shouted back. Which then sprung forth a slew of accusations and mild hysteria.

"Quiet!" Pikachu yelled above the crowd. "In case you idiots couldn't tell, there are humans sleeping in here!"

Now, all the birds turned their attention to him, and he found himself hoping that he could pull a similar miracle to earlier that day and summon an almighty Thunderbolt. But then, the leader sighed, shaking her head and flapping her wings lightly, "Enough of this! We need answers, now."

Pikachu nodded, "That's fair. Give me a second."

"For what?" she asked impatiently.

"To wake up Ash. My partner," he added over his shoulder, "he knows a bit more about this than I do." The Pidgeotto narrowed her eyes at him but looked back at her flock without a word.

Pikachu took a moment to look over at Mimey, briefly puzzled at the sight of the psychic-type waving his arms in the air outside Ash's room. It was only when there was a brief shine of light that he realized the mime was soundproofing the room. Probably for the best; given their history, things would probably get loud (he briefly considered asking Mimey if he knew Rain Dance, in case things got really bad).

Pikachu hopped back onto the bed, jostling Ash's shoulder. "Ash, wake up." His Trainer mumbled something, turning over and pulling his blanket further up his body. Pikachu sighed, "We don't have time for this." Reaching over, he pinched Ash's cheeks, pulling them outward.

"Ow!" Ash shouted, shooting up and forcing Pikachu to let go, "What the—Pikachu!" he hissed, rubbing his cheeks.

"We've got a problem; be glad I didn't shock you."

"Still hurts," Ash grumbled. He then looked around, and his arms fell limply at his side at the sight of the flock of flying-types outside his room. "Ah…"

"Yup."

"At least they aren't Spearow."

"That is true."

"What do they want?"

At that, Pikachu sucked in air through his teeth, wringing his paws together, "Remember how the locket broke when I, uh, hit that tree?"

Ash was silent for a moment, before groaning and dropping his head in his hands, "That would explain why those Pidgey and Pidgeotto were so loud."

"We are still here," the lead Pidgeotto growled.

"Er, sorry," Ash said. Pikachu felt less apologetic but kept that to himself. They walked over to the window, Pikachu once more leaping onto the window as Ash leaned against it. "So, the jewel…it's a long story and, uh," he blanched, "…Can you guys understand what I'm saying?"

She nodded, "Some of our flock are more adept at the human languages than others; if even they cannot understand you, rest assured, we shall ask your friend," she gestured to Pikachu, "for clarification."

Ash nodded, "Alright," and started relaying the bizarre circumstances leading to their current situation (albeit an abridged account). Surprisingly, the flock didn't need Pikachu to translate for them. Occasionally, the lead Pidgeotto would ask for a brief pause to make sure everyone heard everything, but it all went pretty smoothly.

When Ash was finally done, she stared at them, shaking her wigs slightly. Then, she looked behind her, "It would appear that your tale was not…untrue."

"Of course it wasn't!" Pikachu's ears shot up as a young female Pidgey hopped forward onto the same branch. "I'm not a liar; never have been," she said; her voice startingly familiar, yet not in any way he could place.

"Well child, you must forgive me for not believing the wild fantasies you had spun; I do not make any claims to understand the minds of humans, but I doubt any in their right minds would simply allow a fully-evolved Pidgeot to return to their flock."

"Pidgeot!" Pikachu shouted, eyes wide and jaw dropped as he stared at the Pidgey before him.

She turned her attention to him, smiling, in that odd way all Pokémon without lips were capable of doing. "I'm just a Pidgey now. But it's good to see you again, Pikachu."

"…Pidgeot," Ash said, voice barely a whisper.

Pidgey flapped her wings, floating forward; Ash held out his arm, where she perched, tilting her head at him. "It's been a while, Ash."

Pikachu frowned at Ash's confused face, belatedly realizing that he didn't really understand her. Then, the guilt set in; but whether that guilt was for the current situation, or for the way they'd left things in the last universe, he couldn't say.

Pidgey seemed to have an idea though, given the way she hopped forward, gently cooing and rubbing his face with her right wing. "It's alright," she said soothingly, "We just…missed each other, that's all."

Ash sighed, turning away and looking down. Pikachu walked over, gently patting his partner's free hand. "Ash…"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he said, sniffing loudly and looking back to them. "Just, uh…didn't think I'd meet you again so soon."

"That makes two of us," Pidgey said with a short chuckle.

"Three," Pikachu chimed.

"Wait," Ash frowned, cocking a brow at Pidgey, "So you've told your flock about us?" Pidgey nodded, "But, how did you know we were involved. You…weren't around for the crazier parts of our lives."

"Oh, well I've met with some of your flying-type Pokémon when the migrations allowed. Not often, as we still shared Route One with those belligerent Spearow and Fearow, but enough to get a general idea of what you'd been up to." She leaned back, eyeing them critically, "I used to think they were exaggerating things for my sake."

Pikachu groaned, "Oh, if only."

"We are still here," the lead Pidgeotto of the flock dryly stated.

"Oh, right!" Ash turned to the flock, smiling sheepishly, "Er, sorry about that. And for, uh, the whole two sets of memory things."

"Boy, if there is anyone to feel sorry for, it is you," one of the Pokémon replied. When Ash turned to him for a translation, Pikachu just told him he'd translate it later.

"Anyway," the human said, "we're not the only ones who know about," he gestured vaguely in the air with his free arm, "all this. Do you know Professor Oak, the human that lives in the large building down the main road?"

"The elderly human that hosts Pokémon?" the Pidgeotto asked.

"Yeah, him," Ash nodded, "He should be able to…do something?" he finished hesitantly.

"Your words inspire great confidence," the Pidgeotto said.

"Well, I don't think I need _that_ to be translated," Ash muttered. Pikachu laughed, as did Pidgey. He then cleared his throat, "Let me write a note for you guys to give him." He walked forwards towards his desk, pausing only to let Pidgey step off his arm onto the window.

"Now?" Pikachu asked, "Won't he be, you know, asleep?"

"Ah, he won't mind," Ash said, already writing the note.

Pidgey laughed lightly, "All this time, and he's still the same."

Pikachu scoffed, "Oh sure, it's funny now. But then he puts that same single-mindedness to almost getting himself killed."

"Hmm," Pidgey hummed lightly, "Well, maybe with me around you won't have to worry about all that."

Pikachu jerked his head around to face her, "Come again?"

"What?" she eyed him critically, "Do you really expect me to just leave you two alone in the middle of all this? Or wait for months until you just happen upon me again in Viridian Forest?"

Pikachu frowned, scratching his cheek pouch, "I mean…"

Pidgey huffed, "It seems our time apart has eroded your memory." Pikachu didn't really have a response to that.

"Alright!" Ash exclaimed, rolling up the letter and binding it with some tape. He gave it to the lead Pidgeotto, who grasped it in one of her claws. "Just give that to Professor Oak."

"I shall." She then beat her wings, lifting into the air, "I presume we are done?"

Ash shrugged, "I guess." Without further preamble (save a short nod to Pidgey), Pidgeotto rose higher into the air, flying towards the Ranch, the rest of her flock (barring one) following her.

Ash followed after the flock until they disappeared from sight, after which he slumped over the window with a great sigh, "Whew! That went a lot better than I expected." He huffed, turning around, "Well, I'm up now, so wha—" he blinked, "Pi-Pidgey? What are you still doing here?"

Pidgey rolled her eyes, planting her butt on the floor.

"Oh," Ash gasped. "You…want to stay with us?" When Pidgey nodded an affirmative, he sniffed, bending down to scratch her chin, "Thanks." She leaned into his touch, and Pikachu found himself feeling a little jealous, so he pulled on Ash's sleeve. Their Trainer chuckled, but acquiesced, nonetheless.

Then he clicked his tongue, stepping back. "Should probably get you a Poké ball." He pursed his lips, "…Dad should have some spares, I'll ask him…And come up with a good reason as to why I want to catch a Pidgey that just appeared in our house."

"Wait," Pidgey said as Ash exited the room (or tried to, given that Mimey's barriers were still up), "did he just say—"

"We might have left a couple personal details out," Pikachu chuckled bashfully.

 **/+/+/+/+/**

"Dad. Dad!"

"Hmzz...wha?" Red lifted his head slowly, rubbing his eyes as his turned to his son's hushed, hurried voice. "Ash, wh—is that a Pidgey?" he asked, his tiredness evaporating at the sight of the unknown small bird Pokémon, standing next to Pikachu, just outside the bedroom door.

Ash stepped back, looking down and wringing his hands, "She, uh, started knocking on my window…I think she and Pikachu are friends." Indeed, Pikachu appeared to be protectively guarding the flying-type (or the stink-eye on the yellow mouse's face could just be the norm with regards to him; Red didn't really care to figure that out at the moment).

"She doesn't want to leave."

"She doesn't, does she?" Ash just shook his head.

Red stared at the bird, which stared back. "…Leave your window open. If she's still here in the morning, we'll talk."

His son smiled brightly, leaning forward and hugging him, "Thanks Dad!"

"Mmmhhh…Ash?"

"Go back to sleep Delia," Red said to his wife. "And you too," he said to their son. Ash stepped back, smile still on his face, and quickly lead to Pokémon back to his room. Red stared pensively at the empty space before him, but once his head hit the pillow once more, he was out like a light.

And when the Pidgey was still there in the morning, he was sure to add extra Poké food to the list of groceries for the week.

 **/+/+/+/+/**

 **A/N: This was actually attached to the last chapter, but it was getting a little long for my liking, so I made it its own chapter and, as per my norm, finished it quickly. As always, be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Fixing Future Failings

 **Pokémon, and all related media, is the property of Nintendo**

"Talking"

" _Mental Speech"_

" **DEITY (OLYMPUS MON) SPEECH"**

/+/+/+/+/

"So…Pidgey, huh?" Gary drawled, staring up at the flying type soaring overhead as he laid on the ground.

"Yup," Ash replied, idly scratching Pikachu's back as he snored on his lap.

"How'd your parents take it?"

A shrug, "Mom was cool with it. Dad keeps on giving us weird looks."

Gary hummed, "What would you do if your kid said a wild Pokémon sought them out because their first Pokémon—who they received under very suspicious circumstances—was friends with the wild Pokémon?"

Another shrug, "I'd be fine with it."

"Yeah, well…you're weird."

Ash opened his mouth to retort, only to close it after a brief second of thought. "…Fair enough." He then waved at Pidgey, who quickly flew down, landing in front of him. The small gust of wind she picked up momentarily disturbed Pikachu; but he just shifted aside, allowing Pidgey a spot on Ash's lap.

"Another thing that's weird about you is that you're keeping Pidgey out of her Poké ball too." He frowned, "Does Pidgey have her own ball?"

Ash reached into his pocket, pulling out an ordianry Poké ball. "Dad gave me one yesterday."

Gary grunted, eyeing the flying-type, who stared back. "Do you hate them too?" he asked. She merely shook her head, settling down further into Ash's lap.

"Hey," Gary looked up at Ash, "Where's Espeon anyway? Haven't seen him today."

His friend sighed, "Sulking in his ball. Tripped over his tail again, but this time he slammed face-first into the kitchen table, spilling milk all over himself."

Ash had to resist the urge to chuckle at the sun Pokémon's misfortune (Pikachu held no such reservations). Instead, he asked, "He's still struggling with that? He seemed fine in our battle the other day."

"That's because he was either staying still or digging tunnels underground," Gary grunted, "Not a lot of chances for his tail to sweep his legs out from under him." Ash shrugged, halfway accepting of the logic. "Still," Gary continued, "we're working on it."

"Gary, Ash!" Leaf suddenly shouted from the house. When both boys turned to look at her, she had stepped out, standing astride her bike, "I'm heading over to the lab, should be back in a bit."

"Gonna do that trade with Red you were talking about?" Gary asked.

"That and some more," Leaf nodded. "Oh, and Ash?" The time-displaced youth perked up, "If you're sleeping over, we can pick up your and Gary's school supplies tomorrow." With that said, she nodded, hopping on her bike and riding away.

"School supplies?" Ash parroted.

"Yeah," Gary sat up, "for school."

"No, really?" Ash replied, rolling his eyes.

"Gramps's Trainer School starts up in a couple weeks."

"Oh yeah…" Ash trailed off, recalling his time at the school in the previous timeline. "Well, at least I'll have something to do until we get our Pokédexes." He chuckled sheepishly, "Maybe I can get a better grade this time around."

"What did you end up getting?"

"Eighty-one." He chuckled sheepishly, "Those bonus questions saved me. You?"

"One hundred and five, with the bonuses" Gary spat.

"Oh, how terrible."

"Ah, shut up," Gary said good-naturedly. He then shrugged, "But I'm going to get that hundred and twenty now."

Ash laughed; getting a perfect score, and correctly answering all the bonus essay questions? "Why?" he asked aloud.

"How else am I supposed to get Blastoise back?"

Ash blinked, and Pikachu and Pidgey perked up. "What?"

"Blastoise," Gary repeated. "My starter."

Ash bit his lower-lip—he'd actually forgotten about Gary's Blastoise. "Er, right. But…you already have Espeon."

"Yeah, that's why I'm going to get a hundred and twenty out of a hundred points." At Ash's blank stare, he said, "Get a perfect score and Gramps will give you a starter Pokémon, even if you already have a Pokémon."

Ash blinked. "What?"

"Yeah." Gary shrugged, "It's one of the stipulations he puts in; but, again, that's only if you already have Pokémon. Otherwise getting above an eighty is enough; and if you already have a Pokémon, getting above eighty nets you a Pokédex."

"Ok, I get it," Ash said with a slow nod, "But why?" At Gary's questioning stare, he added, "I mean, I'm sure if you ask nicely Mew and Celebi would just bring you Squirtle."

Gary stared blankly at Ash, "You want me to use two Legendary Pokémon, who are—on top of their usual duties—in charge of keeping this universe from imploding, as delivery men?"

"Oh…uh…" Ash trailed off uneasily, scrunching in on himself as Pidgey and Pikachu both sent him incredulous looks. "Fair enough, I guess." He then frowned, "Wait, let's step back a bit. The whole minimum points thing…What's stopping parents from just giving their kids Pokémon after they get a starter?"

"Honestly? Nothing." Gary shrugged, "But it doesn't happen as often as you think." He scowled darkly, "The real problem is people just up and abandoning their starters." The young boy snorted derisively as Pikachu and Pidgey growled, "Guess you'd know all about that, huh Ash? Not only did you get all three of Kanto's designated starter Pokémon, but they were all abandoned Pokémon too!"

Ash smiled grimly, "Bulbasaur wasn't abandoned, though he did take care of abandoned Pokémon. But Squirtle and Charizard were both abandoned by their first trainers."

"Pika-pika, ka-cha," Pikachu huffed.

"Pid-pidgey," Pidgey concurred

"Oh yeah," Ash said thoughtfully, "I never really thought about that."

"Thought about what?" Gary asked.

"Squirtle might be one of my oldest Pokémon."

"What makes you say that?"

"He's the leader of a gang of Squirtles that live somewhere between Cerulean and Vermillion City. Most rookie Trainers give up around then, right?"

"Vermillion or Saffron, yeah. But he could have easily belonged—oh wait," he cut himself off, "I was the only Trainer to get a Squirtle that year."

"Yeah." Ash hummed, "There were only four of us that year. Kinda low, wasn't it?"

Gary drummed his fingers along his leg, "There's usually never more than ten Professor certified Trainers a year. Most fail out or give up halfway through, and that final exam cuts whoever's left in half."

Ash furrowed his brow, having never really considered how much his class had shrunk over the year. "Anyway," he said, shaking away such thoughts, "weird, huh?"

"A little," Gary admitted. "What about Charizard?"

Ash opened his mouth to speak, only to freeze, eyes going wide and face paling a touch. He was silent for one moment, then two, then three, as an idea slowly formed within his mind. A terrible, wonderful idea that he didn't really want to think, but thought regardless.

"Pika-pi?" he distantly heard Pikachu ask, pulling on his shirt.

That brought Ash back to the present. He then abruptly shot to his feet, knocking Pikachu on his back (Pidgey had already moved off his lap). "I gotta talk to the Professor!" he shouted, spinning on his heel to rush for the Lab. Only for Gary to grab him by the collar. "Gak!" Ash gasped, "Let me go!"

"Now just hold on a minute!" Gary shouted, Pikachu and Pidgey crying out as well. "What the heck are you talking about?"

"Charizard!" Ash exclaimed, pushing Gary away and rubbing his neck, "Damien might have gotten him here! I mean, yeah, he could have gotten him elsewhere, but I have to check!" That little revelation galvanized Pikachu and Pidgey, who began sprinting and flying towards the Lab. Ash made to follow, only to once again be stopped by Gary grabbing his collar. "Gah—Quit it!"

"We have a phone, Ash," Gary deadpanned.

"Oh…right. Uh, guys!" He called out to his Pokémon. When the duo stopped to face him, he bashfully gestured to Gary's house, "There's a, uh, phone." Pikachu was too far away to properly hear, but Ash could see his best friend's posture slump as he made his way back.

Gary quickly brought them inside grabbing a phone and dialing the Professor Oak's number. "Hey Gramps," he said after a moment, "Ash wants to talk to you about something." He then handed the phone over, saying, "Give him a minute."

Ash snatched the phone, bringing it to his ear and tapping his foot as he waited. Just as his patience was about to run out, the Professor said, "Ash, you there?"

"Professor, do you remember giving someone named Damien a Charmander when I started my Pokémon journey?"

"…Why yes Ash, I am fine this day. And you?"

"Professor…" Ash said through gritted teeth.

"Ash, you're asking me to remember something that was both a long while ago and hasn't yet happened." He paused, "If it happened."

"C'mon Professor!" Ash pleased, "His name was Damien. He had a stupid voice and stupid face and stupid hair and a stupid outfit."

"Pika-cha." Ash looked down to see Pikachu shaking his head, holding it in his paws. A cursory glance around revealed that Gary and even Pidgey were looking at him strangely.

"Er…" Ash scratched his cheek, "Let me start over."

"Please do," the Pokémon professor asked flatly. Thus, Ash gave a more accurate, less spiteful, description of Charizard's original Trainer.

"Hm…I do remember this boy," the Professor said solemnly. "You're right, he was the Trainer who received a Charmander from me the same year you and Gary received your Pokémon." He grunted, "I'm a little shocked that I never noticed you received the same Charmander."

"To be fair, Professor, I'm pretty sure you never saw Charmander until after he'd evolved."

"Outside of photographs I believe you're right. But Ash, why are you asking me this?"

The time-displaced youth took a deep breath, "I wanted to make sure that the two Charmanders were one and the same before I made my decision."

"And that decision would be?"

"I'm going to get a perfect score on your final exam and be eligible to get a Starter Pokémon from you." Ash frowned determinedly, steel in his voice, "I'm going to save Charizard before he even gets hurt."

The Professor was silent after that. Then, he said, "Ash, I want you to be sure about this. I feel I know you well enough to tell you, as I'm sure you know, that your strengths are not in academics."

"I know," Ash sighed.

"And if I'm remembering right, you barely passed the test the last time around."

"I know," Ash said through gritted teeth.

"And to be honest, you're lucky that Professor Kukui's classes in Alola were mostly hands-on."

"I know!" Ash shouted into the phone, startling everyone around him. He seethed for a moment, before taking a deep, calming breath. "I know. But this is different now; I'm not the same kid I was before. I _won't_ fail."

"…Very well Ash, if you believe so strongly in this, then all I can do is wish you the best of luck."

"Thanks, Professor," Ash said, ending the call. He then sighed, clenching his fists, "Well, now I have to deliver on that promise." He looked down at his Pokémon, who were staring at him with similarly determined gazes

"Ah, don't worry about it," Gary said flippantly, "Considering all the crap you've dealt with since leaving Pallet Town, acing a class you've already taken will be a piece of cake."

"Yeah!" Ash shouted, brimming confidence. "Just you wait, Charizard!"

/+/+/+/+/

"Got your lunch?"

"Yes."

"And your pencil case?"

"Yup."

"A change of clothes in case you step in any mud?"

Mom!" Ash groaned.

"I don't think he'll have to worry about that, Delia," Red said with a short chuckle.

"Oh, I know! I'm just so excited," she squealed, wrapping Ash up in a tight hug "My little boy is growing up!"

"Mom, Mom! Can't breathe!" Alas, she couldn't hear him. Thankfully, his dad could, and he separated the pair.

"If you don't want him to be late, he'll have to leave now," he said with a chuckle.

Mom cooed, fixing Ash's hair and kissing his forehead. "You sure you don't want either of us to take you there?"

Ash rolled his eyes, "Mom, the school's not far, and I'm going with Gary."

"Oh, just leave before I scoop you up and hold you in my arms forever!" she gushed.

Ash huffed but stepped forward and hugged her once more regardless. He did the same with his dad, who smirked and ruffled his hair (after which his mom gave him the stink-eye).

Finally, he turned to Pikachu, Pidgey, and Mimey—the latter holding the door open, the former two sitting on the end table by the door. He smiled, scratching the pair under their chins. "Be good you two," he said, staring pointedly at Pikachu. The yellow mouse scoffed, but nodded, nonetheless. He gave the two one last pat on the head, walking out the door and giving one last "See you!"

He hurried down the road to the Oak residence, just in time to see Gary rush out of the house.

"Ready to get our starters?" his friend said with a smirk, holding out his fist

"Twice over!" Ash exclaimed, bumping the offered fist. The walk over to the Lab, rather, the offshoot building where Professor Oak hosted the school, was fairly quiet. Ash found himself spending the journey observing his hometown, marveling at how little it changed over the years.

They made it to the front of the school's building, where a gaggle of other Pallet town children—and other children from all over Kanto—were waiting. Ash, though he never really bonded with the other kids, still waved excitedly. "Hey there!" he shouted. Some of the kids turned, but then they just as quickly looked away.

Ash paused, dropping his hand hesitantly. Before he could say anything else, though, an Aide stepped out of the building, blowing a whistle and beckoning the kids inside.

Because of the large number of students (of which there always were in the beginning of the year) they were divided into two classes; as it happened, Ash and Gary were separated.

"See you at lunch," he said to Gary. The young Oak nodded nonverbally, heading off towards his classroom. Ash quickly did the same.

He took a seat towards the front of the room, setting down his bag and pulling out a notebook. He probably wouldn't have to write anything down on the first day, but it never hurt to be prepared.

"…doing here?" Ash heard a faint whisper from behind him. He was about to write it off, but then he heard another, different voice.

"I heard he's already got a Pokémon."

"I heard he's got two."

"Of course, he does. His dad was a Champ, and he's best friend's with Gary Oak."

"Some guys have all the luck," one last voice bitterly spat.

Ash made to turn; to ask just _what_ was going on. But then an Aide entered the room and started the class for the day, so Ash stuck the strange comments in the back of his mind for the time being.

/+/+/+/+/

Ash quickly found Gary once lunch started. He was sitting, alone, at one of the corner tables, lazily munching on a sandwich.

"Hey," Ash said, sitting down and taking out his own lunch.

"Yo," Gary said between bites.

The two sat in relative silence after that. It was only after they had both finished the main portion of their meals that Ash finally said, "Have you noticed anything weird?"

"Weird is a very subjective term for us."

"With the other students," Ash whispered, leaning closer to his friend.

"What about them?" his friend asked disinterestedly.

"They're…kinda mean."

Gary narrowed his eyes, putting down his food and giving Ash his full attention. "…Go on."

"It's just," Ash ran a hand through his hair, "If they aren't outright ignoring me, they're saying these…mean things beneath their breath. Or glaring at me when I give the Aide a right answer."

"Ah," Gary said after a moment. He then snorted derisively, "They're just jealous."

"Jealous?" Ash parroted incredulously, "Of me?"

Gary stared at him. He then chuckled, "Sometimes, Ash, I can't believe you exist."

"What?"

"You don't see it?" Gary leaned forward, "Ash, your dad was Champion of Kanto. In this timeline, thanks to our parents, we," he gestured between the two of them, "are practically family; as far as people care to think, Gramps is your Gramps, with all the 'perks' that entails. And in the span of a week, you've caught two Pokémon, and are still here to try and get a starter."

Ash blushed, looking down, "Well when you put it like that…" He then frowned, "Wait, what about you?" His gaze hardened, "Have people been talking about you behind your back too?"

"Eh," Gary shrugged, "I'm used to it."

"Used to it?"

"I've always been something of a local celebrity. Remember the cheerleaders?" he said with a smarmy grin.

"Oh yeah," Ash said thoughtfully. "You also had a car; how's that work?"

"It was an electric that wasn't allowed on the main roads," his friend said flippantly. "Anyway, when you're connected, people either adore you, or envy you. Wasn't until I started my journey that I was actually able to be my own person," he added wistfully.

"Well," Ash began awkwardly, "back in the other timeline I didn't think you were anything other than another kid."

Gary clicked his tongue, returning to his lunch, "Like I said Ash, sometimes I can't believe you exist."

/+/+/+/+/

The rest of the day was uneventful. People still avoided Ash, snarking at him when they thought he couldn't hear (and even when he could).

But he didn't really care about that. Aside from Gary, he was never close to anyone from the old timeline. And he was working for something far too important to let himself be distracted by petty insults.

Thus, when the day was finally declared over, he and Gary found themselves on their way home. At least until they decided to take a detour.

Ash leaned against his backpack as he looked out at the lake. The same lake that, technically, started all this.

"We're really doing this," he said softly, staring out at the gentle waterbed.

"Don't really have a choice, do we?" Gary asked, skipping a rock across the water's surface.

Ash nodded, "Sorry you had to get wrapped up in this."

"Ah, it's cool." He smirked, "Besides, how many people can say they're time-travelers."

"Me," Ash said. He then held up his hands, counting, "Professor Oak, Misty, Brock, Dawn, all our Pokémon that were with us those times. Anyone who spends more than five minutes around a Celebi."

"Oh, who asked you!" Gary said with a laugh. "Actually, that reminds me, I need to interrogate Gramps about that whole time-travel thing he did as a kid."

"When you do," Ash said, leaning back and staring up at the clouds, "ask him what he would have done if I'd shown up before all the starters were gone. I'm really curious what excuse he'd have given to try and put Pikachu and me together."

"Sure, sur—wait, are you trying to tell me you met him when that happened?" Before Ash could answer, Gary shook his head, "What am I saying? Of course, you were." Ash snickered but said nothing in reply. At least until a rock hit his leg.

"Gah!" he cried, shooting up to nurse limb and glare at his friend, "Really?!"

"Wasn't on purpose!" Gary shouted back, holding his hands up defensively, "The rock bounced off something."

"Sure, it did," Ash grumbled, rising to his feet.

"It did!" Gary insisted. "It was around here," he said, moving closer to the shoreline.

Ash stomped forward, only cooling off when Gary pulled something out of the mud. "…Is that what I think it is?" he asked as Gary wiped away the mud.

Gary grunted, "It's a Poké ball," he said, holding it up and turning it over. "Think it's the same one?"

Ash thought back on the Poké ball he and Gary fished up in the previous timeline; the one that damaged their friendship until they finally mended it at Johto's Silver Conference. "Maybe, maybe not," he answered.

Gary stared at the item, before bringing it down and holding it out to Ash, bottom-up. "Might as well."

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, this time around we can skip the whole 'no longer friends' thing," Gary shook the ball, "Right?"

Ash smiled without another thought, grabbing the white half of the ball. "Right!" Then, with all the might their young bodies could muster, they pulled, breaking the item clean in half.

Gary stepped back, holding his half—the red top—high in the air. "Here's to us!"

"Here, Here!" Ash exclaimed, raising his half level with his friend's.

/+/+/+/+/

 **A/N: I'm not going to follow their school days. Just…no. (I also don't know exactly what the criteria are for getting a Pokédex and starter Mon, but it was either school or a raffle). Expect some major time-skips in future chapters. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


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